Drowning In A Wynters Solace
by Unwritten Whispers
Summary: Hermione goes to Forks for her cousin Bella's wedding, Edward learns he has a living relative who isn't exactly living anymore, Jacob finds his imprint and when Wynter is the 1st witch to be bitten by a Quileute wolf, Draco comes to her rescue! Voldemort is dead but the war isn't over yet and Wynter's the only one who can save them - that is if the darkness doesn't consume her.
1. The Invitation

**Disclaimer: Once again all Harry Potter characters belong to the lovely Miss JK Rowling, and all Twilight characters belong to Miss Stephenie Meyers. I simply just stole their main characters for a while, plotting them together with an OC to ease my curious mind (:**

**A/N: I love Harry Potter, but I also love Twilight. But if I had to choose, its Harry Potter over everything else(: sorry. This is set right after Deathly Hallows, but also during Breaking Dawn. The year is in 2011, so let's just pretend that Harry Potter was in the 2000's to make this work. Also I'm switching up some things to make the story flow(: hope you guys enjoy it!**

The Invitation

**You don't know me.**

** Just for example, you think I'm upstairs in my room doing my homework. Wrong. I'm not in my room. I'm not doing my homework. And even if I were up in my room I wouldn't be doing my homework, so you'd still be wrong. And it's really not my room. It's your room because it's in your house. I just happen to live there right now. And it's really not my homework, because my math teacher, Mrs. Moonface, assigned it and she's going to check it, so it's her homework.**

** Her name's not Mrs. Moonface, by the way. It's really Mrs. Garlic Breath. No it's not. It's really Mrs. Gabriel, but I just call her Mrs. Garlic Breath, except for the times when I call her Mrs. Moonface.**

** Confused? Deal with it.**

** You don't know me at all. You don't know the first thing about me. You don't know where I'm writing this from. You don't know what I look like. You have no power over me.**

** What do you think I look like? Skinny? Freckles? Wire rimmed glasses over brown eyes? No, I don't think so. Better look again. Deeper. It's like a kaleidoscope, isn't it? One minute I'm short, the next minute tall, one minute I'm geeky, one minute studly, my shape constantly changes, and the only thing that stays constant is my brown eyes. Watching you.**

"Hermione?"

Placing the confusing book that she had only just started to read, onto the coffee table in front of her, Hermione Granger looked up at the raven haired boy who entered the sitting room. Well then again, he couldn't really be qualified as a boy anymore now could he? Now that he's saved the wizarding world from a dark future of impending doom? No, of course he was no longer a boy; the eighteen year old standing in front of her was no longer a boy. He was now in fact a man! "Yes, Harry?"

Darting his emerald green eyes to the book's cover that seemed to be decorated with words, he raised a concerned eyebrow. "What are you reading?"

"One of Wynter's books," Hermione replied, also eyeing the odd looking cover. She'll admit that when her friend had first offered her the book to read, she was a little nervous. Never before, had she come across a book that was so odd looking. Then she read the first page, and she still felt it was odd. But she found herself drawn to it. She wanted to know what the person in the book looked like, and she found herself curiously wondering about Mrs. Moonface. Such a name for a teacher; it caused her to giggle, reminding her of their nickname for Professor Snape. Once Remus let loose that he and the rest of the Marauders would call Snape, _Snivellus_, all of Gryffindor had taken to calling him that. Behind his back of course, because no one wanted to be the one stupid enough to say it in front of him. "I'm still only on the first page."

"Oh," continuing to stand, Harry moved in closer towards the table, picking the book up in his hands. Closely examining it, he heard Hermione hold back her chuckle as he even tried to sniff it. "What do you think of it so far?"

"It's rather odd."

Placing the book back in the spot that Hermione had also just put it, Harry sighed. "Of course it is. What else do you expect from something of Wynter's?"

"Harry," Hermione gasped, caramel colored eyes quickly scanning the area to make sure they were alone. "That isn't nice. Wynter just so happens to be a very nice girl."

Hermione's eyes landed on a golden embroidered envelope in her best friend's hand, as he threw it up in self-defense. Shaking his head, Harry grinned, "I wasn't saying otherwise, Hermione. I just simply meant that although Wynter is indeed a very nice girl, and a brilliant friend, she is also in fact, extremely odd. One would say almost, Luna odd."

"Well, I wouldn't say I was as odd as Luna," a tired sounding voice chuckled from the stairs. "Although it has been a while since I've been on a _Crumple-Horned Snorkack _hunt with her."

Turning away from the flaming gaze of Hermione, Harry felt as if his cheeks could boil porridge on his face. "Sorry Wynter. I meant nothing bad by it. You know I love you, right?"

Chuckling, the girl sat herself on the couch, next to Hermione. "Of course, Harry."

Turning all of her attention away from the blushing war hero, and onto her other friend, Hermione noticed that Wynter had been acting odd the past couple of days; more odd than usual, and it was starting to show in her features as well. Wynter Morris was a muggle-born Gryffindor from their year, who often reminded everyone of Luna because of her eccentric ways. It wasn't until their fifth year at Hogwarts that they finally noticed Wynter as a brilliant witch. Like Neville, she had a knack to stay out of people's ways, and like Luna, she was hard to come across, but once you noticed her, it was hard to not spot her from miles away. Joining Dumbledore's Army back in their fifth year, she hadn't left their sides since. Even now, it was a month after the war, and she was still with them; living with all of them in Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Wearing tiny yellow colored jean shorts, and a plain white baby tee, Wynter crossed her legs in an Indian style way of sitting, and began to nervously tug at her blue painted toes. Hermione and Harry shared a dark look at that. She was thinking about something. And there was only one thing that could cause the usually bubbly girl to nervously think about something this hard. It seemed like for the past month a certain blonde ferret had caught her light rain colored eyes. Realizing that Wynter started this unfamiliar mood change of hers only a couple days before, Hermione took in the girl's hair. Where the auburn curls usually fell in tight curls to the center of her back, she now had it just sloppily tied back into a bun. Replacing the normally rainbow colored diamonds in her ears with the simple silver balls, Wynter looked almost depressed like. This was nothing like her.

"You… err…" growling when he realized Hermione was going to leave him to have the… ahem… the talk, Harry continued, "You okay there, Wynter?"

Nodding her head, Wynter looked up at her friend. Her eyes were dazed. "Sure, Harry."

"I'm going to kill that bloody ferret."

Turning to the scorching red head that was now blazing towards them, Hermione caught the murderous glint in the normally passive ocean colored eyes. "What did he do now, Ron?"

"He called Wynter a… well you know… _that word_ again," plopping himself on the couch next to the auburn haired girl, Ron placed an arm around her shoulder. "Are you alright Wynter? I swear, next time I'm going to just avada him myself. I don't care if he came through for us in the war. I'm going to talk to Sirius. I don't know why the hell he agreed to bring in the insufferable prat."

Chuckling, Wynter leaned in against Ron, placing her head on his chest. "You're too kind to kill Malfoy," she reminded the soft hearted Weasley, then sighed. "And Sirius agreed to let him live here, because he's his nephew. Remember Ron, Malfoy may be annoying, but with Narcissa killed in the war, and Lucius in Azkaban, he has no one. Sirius pities him. He may be a Malfoy, but he's also a Black."

"Bellatrix was a Black to," Ron growled. "But you didn't see Sirius rushing to save her arse when Mum was killing her," immediately Ron regretted his words. Turning towards Hermione, he groaned inwardly; his eyes flashing directly at the scarred words deforming Hermione's forearm. At least she didn't flinch this time when Bellatrix's name was mentioned. "Sorry Hermione."

"I'm not," Hermione feigned a weak smile. "I'm glad Molly killed Bellatrix, and as much as I don't want to, I have to agree with Wynter. Sirius did what anyone would do. He saw how much his nephew was hurting, and brought him here because he didn't want him to be alone at the Manor. We all saw how much Malfoy dreaded going back to the Manor."

"I don't blame him," Harry shuddered as the most recent memories of what happened in Malfoy Manor flooded back to him. "Voldemort used his home as a headquarters for all the Death Eaters. Anyone would be mad to have to want to return there."

"Have you all lost your bloody minds?" Ron's voice came as a mix between a shout and a whisper; a plea and a notion; a question and a command. "This is Malfoy we're talking about. The Slytherin git, the bouncing ferret, the blonde prat, the one whose picked on you two all your years at Hogwarts for being a muggle-born," pointing at the two girls, he shook his head, "And you're defending him?"

"Not defending," Wynter shook her head, "No, not defending Malfoy. I hate that pureblooded prick as much as you do Ron, actually no," she shook her head in disagreement with what she just said, "I hate him more than you do and I would much rather see him rotting in Azkaban with Lucius, but he's innocent. We've all looked into his mind. He was forced to bear the dark mark, and in the end he did help us out. And besides Harry, Malfoy's the only family that Sirius has left."

"But he's called you a-"

"A _Mudblood,_" she nodded her head. Pulling away from Ron this time, she straightened her body out. Only Hermione could hear the hurt in their friend's voice as she spoke about the faults of Malfoy. "Yes, I know. I didn't say he was innocent Ron, only that he didn't want to become a Death Eater, and that Sirius needs him. He's still a prat, and he's still our enemy. He's still a pureblood, and I'm still a muggle-born. He's still a Slytherin, and I'm still a Gryffindor. He's still a Malfoy, and I'm still a… well I'm still not a Pureblood. I know Ron, don't worry. I still remember," she sighed.

Wynter may have been compared to Luna many times because she was too kind, or because she wore odd colors, and often had a dreamy look in her eyes, but at most times she was also compared to the very Bellatrix Lestrange. She could go from calm to creating a storm with a single thought. She stayed hidden from her peers, avoiding the radar at Hogwarts until her fifth year. Although she shared a room with Hermione Granger, Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown, she stayed away from them. She didn't talk to them or to anyone else in the Gryffindor house. She avoided Harry, and didn't raise her hand in any of her classes. She was invisible, and she preferred it that way. Until their fifth year that he cornered her that day in one of the corridors.

_"Morris!"_

_ Recognizing that silky voice anywhere, she clutched her books tightly to her chest. Taking a large gulp of air, she slowly turned to face him. Potions class had just been released, but everyone was already gone. The only two people left were him, and her. Trying her best not to fidget with her curls or tug on the hem of her uniform, she allowed her eyes to watch him cautiously. The unkempt blonde strands hung over his eyes, reminding her back to their third year, when he first stopped using his hair gel. She thanked the gods for that, every morning when she saw him in the Great Hall. Hardened steel colored eyes swirling with melted silver, stared heavily down at her. At only fifteen, he was already a lanky six feet. He towered over her dainty five foot four stature. _

_ "I hear your third in our class," his voice was harsh. His eyes filled with an unknown anger._

_ Meekly nodding her head, her voice came out in a squeak. "Yes."_

_ He smirked, seeming to know that he was the cause of her weakened voice. He took another step closer until his lips were looming over her eyes. "I overheard the professors talking, and I hear that you are the brightest-witch-of-your-age, which makes me curious. If you are in fact the brightest witch, then why are you in third, right behind Granger and I?"_

_ Really… the professors actually gossip about that kind of stuff? Hearing a noise to their side, her eyes shifted, and she spotted the potions professor keeping a close watch on them. Her smirk soon matched Malfoy's, taking him by surprise, and causing him to take a step back. "And who have you heard that from Malfoy, hmm… all of the professors or just one in particular? Hmm?" pressing her lips into a humming form, she saw the rage click in his eyes. He just confirmed her answer for him. Taking a step back, she was relieved to see him stay in place in this time. "I don't want any competition, Malfoy. So you and Granger don't have to worry about me suddenly getting a higher score than you."_

_ "That's not what I wanted to talk about."_

_ "Oh. Then what do you want?"_

_ "I'm sure you've heard the rumors," there was a tone in his voice. One that Wynter couldn't determine. Was it pride? Was it a longing? Was it depression? Or was it a depressing longing for a pride that he no longer had? "Of Potter?"_

_ She nodded her head. Of course she had heard the rumors. She may have been a loner, but she wasn't daft. She could also read. The headlines have been going insane since the final competition in their fourth year. "Potter believes that Voldemort is back. And that he killed Diggory."_

_ Fear flashed in his eyes; fear and realization. He searched the hall, making sure that she wasn't heard. "You call Potter by his surname, yet you share the same house? Why? I thought friends didn't do things like that?" he purposely left out the fact that she had called his master by his name; the way an enemy would. He knew Snape was nearby listening to them. If by some miracle, Snape hadn't heard her the first time, he didn't want to chance bringing it to his attention. The girl would be dead by morning._

_ "Look Malfoy," she sighed, noting the questioning tone that was overpowering his voice. "Potter and I aren't friends. I don't even know him. And I'm sure he doesn't know me either. Nobody knows me. Actually, until this very moment, I was sure that no one knew me. Which by the way," she stared at him curiously. "How did you know my name?"_

_ "We've shared the same classes since first year," he rolled his eyes. "Do you honestly think that no one's noticed you?" when she nodded her head, she caught the pity in his eyes. It was quick and gone within a second, but it was there just long enough for her to notice it. "I noticed you, okay. Actually, quite a lot of us have. You caught some attention Morris, and it's a shame that Potter didn't notice you earlier. You seem like you would be a good friend to have. I watch you in class mixing potions without a second glance at the book; the odd number out, never working with a partner. Hell, even Longbottom's got a partner, and he melts everything he gets his hands on. But you," he chuckled, and shook his head, causing his hair to swing at a slow pace. "No, you're always alone; learning on your own. It takes you only one simple glance and one try in order for you to succeed what it takes Granger all period. Granger may have the highest marks, but I believe it's only because you allow her to."_

_ "And?" she shrugged her shoulders. She wanted to question him further, find out more, but her mind was too numb. Did Draco Malfoy just admit to watching her closely?_

_ "Listen up Morris," he leaned in closer. Smirking as she took a step back, he took another step in. They repeated this motion until he had her pinned against the wall. Lowering his face above hers once more, he spoke in a low tone. "The rumors are true. What Potter says… it's all true. And you've caught _his_ attention."_

_ Her heart was beating through her chest. She was sure Malfoy could feel it, but she couldn't stop it. What? What is he playing at? The rumors are true? "Whose attention?" the fearing gaze Malfoy held on her was enough to answer her question. "No," she shook her head. "No. I'm a muggle-born. I hide my school marks, Malfoy. So what if you and a couple other Slytherins watch me in class, I'm third in everything. You're better than me, and so is Granger. She's top, and you're second. Why hasn't she caught his attention?"_

_ "Because she's Potters best friend, and also," his lips were resting on her cheek now. His palms were flat against the wall, his arms trapping her face in. "She isn't holding her strength back. There's a secret, Morris. One that not even Potter or precious Dumbledore knows – a secret that I won't tell you, but he's willing to. He doesn't mind that you're a Mudblood. He admires your strength. He wants you on our side, Morris."_

_ A gasp escaped her lips, and her heart finally slowed down. Too bad it stopped beating altogether. "What?"_

_ "The Dark Lord sent me to get you," he nodded his head, confirming her fears. "He admires you, and he wants you to fight with us. He's even willing to give you a spot on the table, a spot right next to me."_

_ "You?" her question came out in a squeak._

_ "That's right," he chuckled, but there was no grin. She could feel the vibrations of his eerie chuckle, but she couldn't feel the faintest feeling of a smile or a grin. "This coming summer, he's branding me. And he wants to brand you as well. Think about all the possibilities; trapped in Gryffindor, but friends with all of Slytherin. You would be going from the shadows to having everyone know your name. You would be wearing the mark of the Dark Lord, and have everything you've ever wanted all at your feet."_

_ Chills coursed through her spine, freezing her veins up, and once again causing her to gasp. "No," she shook her head, "That's sick. I would never."_

_ "What?" Malfoy pulled away. His teeth clenched into a hiss and his hands were ready to strike her. "Did you hear me, woman? You are nobody right now, but the Dark Lord is willing to take you in under his wing. Do you have any idea how honored you should be right now?"_

_ "He's a psychotic prick! I'm not going to go around running with Death Eaters, and killing people for fun. I'd soon rather be killed than-"_

Shaking back the memories that she wanted to forget, Wynter grimaced as she remembered the day her friendship with the golden trio began. Malfoy didn't take too kindly to being shut down by a _Mudblood, _and he assaulted her. Remembering what Hermione told Lavender and Parvati a couple nights before about secret meetings in the Room of Requirement, Wynter dragged herself to them. It was then, when she started to train with them. It was then, when they learned just how bright she was. It was then, when they learned how screwed they would have been if she had accepted Malfoy's offer to join Voldemort. With one flick of her wand, they all witnessed how she had the potential to become the next Dark Lord if she wanted. Voldemort somehow knew of her powers, and wanted her on his side – he knew that with her in the war, it was her side that would win.

"What's that you've got in your hand, Harry?"

Turning to the envelope that he forgot he was holding, Harry met Wynter's eyes with a curious gaze. There were many things she hid from them, and he understood how much her secrecy meant to her, but it worried him. He knew she was too pure and too soft hearted to turn to dark magic, but something was wrong. He wanted to help her before she allowed herself to become consumed. "A letter came for you, Hermione."

Taking the letter, Hermione looked down at it, and they all saw her confusion. "What?" opening it up, they watched her eyes move as she read it, soon a wide grin spread on her face. "My cousin's getting married."

"Which cousin?" asked Ron.

Laughing, she held out the invitation for him to grab it. "My cousin Bella," she replied.

_**ISABELLA MARIE SWAN**_

_AND _

_**EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN**_

_TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILES_

_REQUEST THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE _

_AT THE CELEBRATION OF THEIR MARRIAGE_

_SATURDAY, THE THIRTEENTH OF AUGUST _

_TWO THOUSAND AND ELEVEN_

_FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING_

_420 WOODRCRAFT AVE_

_FORKS, WA_

Also in the envelope, beneath the invitation was a letter. Hermione began to read it aloud.

_Hermione,_

_ Mom's coming down with Phil, and Dad will be there, and I haven't seen you since I moved out here to live with Dad, and met Edward, but it's been a long time since we've seen each other. Forks is still the same boring town from when you used to visit in the summers with me. Writing letters to each other isn't the same as actually seeing each other. Besides we haven't written since last summer. You had your war, and I had mine. I didn't even get the chance to tell you that I was getting married – but to be fair, I didn't really know either – and when I got your letter two weeks ago telling me that you won the war, congrats by the way, I didn't know how to tell you about this. You aren't going to be thrilled when you hear it, but I need your support now more than ever. Dad doesn't know about the Cullens, and he doesn't exactly like Edward since he thinks I tried killing myself as our cover up because of James's attack on me when I first moved out here. And Jacob absolutely refuses to have anything to do with me. It's been so long that I didn't get a chance to tell you about Jacob either. He's a wolf. Yep! The same little Jacob Black is a hot looking wolf. Or well, they're called "shape-shifters" but I call them wolves. His pack leader had to threaten him not to kill Edward, and now he's missing. Jacob's my best friend, Hermione. And so are you. So please! I need you here with me. I want you to be my maid of honor as well. So you need to get here now. The wedding's in four days, and you still need to go shopping. Edward's sister Alice will take you. I have some last minute human things to do. In case you haven't figured it out by now, Edward agreed to turn me after our wedding – hence the wedding at only seventeen years old – I'll explain it to you in more detail when I see you. Alice is waiting for you at the address on the invitation. That's their house. I'll be running errands with Dad when you arrive, but Alice will bring you home to my house afterwards. Dad thinks you're coming in from the airport._

_ I love you, _

_Bella_

_ Oh, and bring your friend Wynter. Alice saw her at the wedding with you, and already told Dad that she would be coming to. So you'll both be sharing the guestroom. And some guy named Cedric. Alice kind of freaked out when she saw him in the vision as well, but said to bring him. He'll be staying with the Cullen's though – something about him and Edward? _

"Edward?" questioned the nervous voice of Cedric Diggory.

Turning to look up at the once dead Hufflepuff, Hermione nodded her head. "Edward Cullen, my cousin's boyfriend. Or well I guess fiancée now?" she scrunched up her face. "He's a vampire. I helped Bella to figure it out when she first moved to Forks to be with Uncle Charlie. I haven't talked to her in a year, but when I last did, she just got out of the hospital because a vampire named James tried killing her because of her scent. And then the Cullen's left town to prevent her from getting even more hurt. I didn't even know Edward returned back to her, I'm glad to hear it though. She was kind of loopy after he left her."

"Vampire?" Cedric's already paled face became even paler. The golden flakes that were now his eyes stared down at her. The lump in his throat remained oddly visible, while his dark chocolate hair stood up in every direction. "Your cousin's marrying a vampire?"

Nodding her head, Hermione sighed as she re-read the letter, "And by the looks of it, she'll be one soon enough."

"But why would anyone want to become a vampire?" he asked. He could see the pity in their faces as they all watched him try to understand it. He didn't want to become one. He didn't have a say in the meaning.

"I don't know," shrugging her shoulders, Hermione stood up. "I missed out on a whole year of Bella's life. We stopped writing letters because I told her I was going on the hunt for the Horcruxes, and well like I said… she was a bit loopy when Edward left her."

"Who's Alice?" asked a confused Wynter. "And how did she know my name? Or that I'm going to be there with you? I don't know them."

"Alice is Edward's sister. She can see into the future. So I'm guessing she saw me at the wedding and I guess she saw you there with me, as well as Cedric."

"And no one else?" asked Ron. "But I've always wanted to meet your cousin, Bella. You always talk about her."

Harry nodded his head in agreement, "The clumsy one from Arizona, who knows all your secrets."

"Arizona," gasped Wynter. Grabbing the invitation out from Cedric's hands, she gasped again. "Washington? We're going to America?"

"Yep," Hermione nodded her head. "Now hurry up. Let's pack. I can't wait to see my cousin. I've really missed her. I used to go to Forks with her to visit my Uncle Charlie over the summers when we were younger, but I stopped going once I started going to Hogwarts. I would spend my summers between my parents and the Burrow instead. And I want to meet Edward. Especially since he's turning my only cousin into a bloody vampire," hearing Cedric clear his throat, her cheeks turned a rosy shade. "No offense Cedric."

"None taken, Hermione," he chuckled. "So these vampires then, Hermione?"

"Vegetarians," nodding her head, she smiled at the sigh of relief he gave. "Don't worry; I don't think my cousin would be able to handle loving someone who killed off humans."

Standing up, Wynter stretched out her arms. "Well then, I guess I don't have a choice, eh? So do they know we're witches then, besides your cousin of course?"

"The Cullens do," Hermione nodded her head. "But no one else does. Uncle Charlie doesn't of course, nor does my aunt or her new husband. And I doubt Bella told Jacob."

"Jacob?" asked Ron.

"Mhmm," re-reading the letter once more, she found it difficult to believe that the innocent Jacob Black she used to play with as a kid is now a wolf. She knew wolves, and she couldn't picture Jacob Black as one. "Jacob Black," then she laughed at the irony of it. "I can't believe he turned out to be a shape-shifter. And then we have Sirius Black, an Animagus. I've got to ask if they're related in any way."

Walking towards the stairs, Wynter shook her head. "Well I'm off to pack then. Anything I should be prepared for?"

Thinking about it, Hermione pressed a finger to her chin. Her eyes stared past her friend, and up at the pale face watching them from the top of the stairs, "No," she assured Wynter. "Just pack for Washington's weather. We'll buy you a dress for the wedding when we go shopping with Alice, you too Cedric."

"You mean I get to wear a dress to?" Cedric fawned with fake enthusiasm, earning hoots of laughter from Harry and Ron, but a burning glare from Hermione.

Standing at the edge of her bed, Wynter slowly placed the folded clothing items into her charmed bag. Although the pink and black checkered bag was the size of a bowling bag, she could put an entire king sized bed in it if she wanted to. Feeling the piercing gaze scorching through her back, she sighed. Putting the shirt in her hands down onto the bed, she turned around. He grew since that day he cornered her in the hall. Now six foot three, and muscular from his years of playing Quidditch, Draco Malfoy leaned against her doorframe, unaware of the way his arms clenched as he folded them together. Wearing long grey sweats, and a black t-shirt, his hair was longer and more rugged than she last remembered. He resembled someone who just woke up from a lifetime of nightmares. Then again her room was set right next to his – he does wake up from a nightmare… often with a scream, or sometimes with a whimper. She already knew how to control her eyes from wandering down to the mark burned into his forearm. Although she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she found herself oddly attracted to the beauty of it.

"What do you want Malfoy?" her voice sounded more harsh than she had intended.

"So you're leaving?"

Refusing to fall for the softness of his voice, she nodded her head. "Yeah, Hermione's cousin is getting married in four days, and I guess one of the vampires saw a vision of me being there."

"A vampire seer?" his eyebrow twitched.

Nodding her head once more, Wynter turned away from him. "Something like that."

"Stay here with me."

"There's nothing to stay here for."

"I just said for me, didn't I?"

"And I said there's nothing."

"So I'm nothing then?"

Forcing herself to drown out the pain from Malfoy's voice, she continued to just throw her clothes into the bag in front of her. "When were you ever something, Malfoy?"

"Something's wrong Morris," he finally sighed. His voice was just as tired as hers was. The war was over now. There was nothing left to fight for…. no one left to impress. But fighting was all they had ever known. "If you go, you'll get hurt."

She forced out a chuckle. "I doubt that Hermione's cousin's sister-in-law is going to get me to go there, just for me to get hurt."

"It doesn't feel right."

"And I'm supposed to just stay here because of that?" zipping up her bag, she turned back around. He still hadn't left his spot. "I'm going, Malfoy."

"You're going to get hurt."

"Oh I'm sorry," she rolled her eyes; "I didn't realize that you were also a seer."

**Disclaimer: The book that Hermione is reading is titled ****You Don't Know Me ****written by David Klass!**


	2. History of The Masens

History of The Masens

Readjusting the straps of their one bagged luggage, Hermione and Wynter clutched tightly onto their wands. Being a vampire now, Cedric no longer had a need for his wand. He could use wandless magic now, and chose to keep his wand hanging up on the wall of his bedroom in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. He may not have had a use for it, but he wouldn't get rid of it. He was too attached to it. A wand was like an important organ to a witch or a wizard. Without their wand, they just felt broken; as if a piece of them were missing. Cedric may have been a vampire now, but he still felt a connection to his wand. It was nice to know he still had it within his reach when he was at home. He wanted to bring it with him to Forks… just in case, but Hermione argued with him. He may have been a vampire, and could kill her before she even lifted her wand arm, but she still frightened him. Hermione liked to get loud, and when she argued, everyone just gave in to her demands. Including Sirius, at times.

Reaching over, and tapping Hermione on her shoulder, Wynter pointed her chin up at Cedric. His nose was flaring, and he was on guard. "They're coming," he told them.

Allowing Cedric to play as their protector, Hermione moved behind him with ease when he grabbed onto her and Wynter. "Hullo," poking her head out from her friend and apparently now protector, she smiled at the approaching vampires. "I'm Hermione Granger. This is Wynter Morris, and this is-" directing all of her focus on the vampire identical to Cedric; Hermione looked up at her friend. "Whoa! There's two Cedrics."

There was a sound of jingling bells in the suddenly nippy air, and Wynter warily watched as a beautiful short haired woman approached them. She was bouncy, and her golden eyes had an extra shine to them as she gracefully moved in closer. "Hi! I'm Alice, and this is my husband Jasper Hale," swiftly, but still gracefully, she moved her hand, and grabbed onto the blonde haired man who looked as if he were in pain. His golden eyes had yet to leave Wynter. "The blonde woman is our sister Rosalie, and the man who's continually gawking at Cedric is her husband Emmet. These are our parents, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, and Esme," with the free hand that she didn't have linked in with Jasper's hand, she pointed out each person as she introduced them. Finally her hand landed on the Cedric look alike. "Cedric Diggory, this is Edward Cullen."

"No way," Emmet finally gasped. Wynter and Hermione cautiously watched him. Whereas all the other vampires were simply just gracefully beautiful, he was handsome. Not beautiful in a graceful way, but handsome in a; it-doesn't-matter-that-his-skin-is-sparkling-in-the-sun-and-he-looks-like-someone-dumped-a-bucket-of-glitter-on-him-he-still-looks-as-manly-as-any-man-can-look type of handsome. "Two Edwards, yo Alice, why are there two Edwards?"

Continuing to smile, Alice shook her head. "There aren't two Edwards, Emmet. Edward and Cedric are of blood relation though."

"What?" Edward finally managed to speak. He had been too busy staring at his clone, and trying to figure out why he couldn't read the two witches' minds, that he hadn't really been listening to anything his sister had been saying. But now she caught his attention, "What do you mean we're of blood relation?" his head snapped to his sister, before finally glancing back at the also confused vampire. He smelt as if he's been a vampire for only three years.

"That's for you two to discuss," Alice responded cheerfully. Ignoring the low snarl that escaped Cedric's throat, she linked her arms in between the two confused witches, and started to lead them up the stairs, and into their home. Wynter observed that the home was made up entirely of glass. "Are you going to discuss it out here? I imagine that it would save you both more time if you just discuss it with us at once."

Edward noticed that Cedric's mind was the only one he could read. He also didn't like what he was hearing from it. "Alice isn't going to hurt them," he said in a low tone so the only two non-vampires couldn't hear them. "She's just very enthusiastic."

"Hermione warned us you could read minds," Cedric nodded his head.

"I can't read theirs."

"You can't read Hermione, the same way you can't read her cousin Bella," Cedric nodded his head in agreement. "It's something in their bloodline. Our friend Harry told me that even he couldn't read her, and he has the highest marks for _Legilimency, _and Wynter…" he sighed, "Well Wynter just doesn't like people in her mind. She happens to have the highest scores in _Occlumency,_" looking over at Edward, he saw the confusion in his face, and sighed. "She's really good at blocking people out of her mind."

Jasper and Emmet stopped walking, allowing Rosalie to join the girls, while they joined the two clones, "So you're saying then," Emmet also whispered. He knew that Rosalie and Alice could hear them, he just didn't want the two witches to hear. "That she can purposely keep Edward out of her mind, whereas Bella and Hermione have something in their blood that keeps him out?"

Cedric nodded his head. "Wynter's a special one. She can… well… erm," they all watched as he struggled with the correct words to describe his friend, "Well put it this way. If she wants you to see something, then she'll show it to you. If she wants you to hear something, she'll allow you to hear it, and if she wants to know what you're hiding, then she'll find it."

"You mean," Jasper still hasn't taken his eyes off the shy looking girl yet. "She can read our minds as well?"

"If she wanted to," Cedric nodded his head. "Hermione was shocked when Bella wrote to her that Alice specifically saw Wynter here. Honestly, I don't think Hermione would've brought her here on her own accordance, or even me. We all figured she would bring Harry and Ron with her."

"Her two best friends since she was eleven," when Edward saw the confused looks his brothers gave him, and heard the chuckle from his look alike, he also chuckled, "It was Hermione who told Bella I was a vampire. Bella knew there was something off about me, and she wrote to her cousin about it. Hermione was the one who knew all the clues. When Bella confronted me about knowing the truth, she also told me about her witch cousin. I know all about Hogwarts through what Bella told me."

Sitting on a chair offered to him by Esme, Cedric kindly accepted it, and turned to Edward, "Exactly. So imagine our surprise when your sister saw Hermione bringing Wynter and me instead of her two best friends."

Alice pulled Hermione and Wynter onto the couch with her. Keeping her arms linked in with theirs, she wiggled in excitement when she saw Rosalie take the seat next to Hermione. Whereas Rosalie and Bella don't really get along, she saw Hermione and Rosalie becoming the best of friends. Feeling a mixture of odd emotions coming from Wynter, Jasper chose to sit next to her. He figured that while she was here, he could at least try to keep her calm. Her mind was on an overdrive, and he felt sorry for the girl. His powers didn't allow him to know what caused the stress, or what caused her to feel the way she did, but he did know how she was feeling. And no one should ever have those emotions. It just wasn't right. Cedric sat on a seat by himself, watching as his two friends were surrounded by vampires, while Edward also took his own chair. Esme sat between her husband and remaining son while everyone continued looking between Edward and Cedric.

Alice cleared her throat, "Shops close at six today boys, and it's already twelve. They only have one dress left, and I know Hermione will not appreciate it if you make her lose out on her dress," when Hermione and Wynter both gave her a confusing look, she patted Wynter's hand. "Don't worry Wynter," she smiled brightly, "Your dress is hidden away where no one but us, can find it."

"Don't ruin the surprise Alice!" everyone was shocked to see the statement coming from Rosalie. Rosalie, who normally didn't like to go along with everything her sister had to say, and didn't like to show any ounce of emotion, was now wide eyed, and looked ready to attack her sister.

Looking into both of his sisters' minds, Edward released a low growl. They've both been secretive lately, avoiding thinking of anything that had to do with Bella, the wedding, or the witches. They were in on something, and it annoyed him. He hated being left out of things. "So alright then… I've seen Cedric's mind, but I still can't figure out why we look alike."

"I already told you Edward," Alice rolled her eyes, causing Jasper to smirk. "You are of blood relation."

"But that's impossible," Edward also rolled her eyes. "I was the last of my family to die, Alice, you know that. I don't have any living blood left."

"Cedric," Carlisle, turned to the confused young vampire, "How were you turned?"

"There was this tournament," he started explaining to them. "The Tri-Wizard Tournament, which was held at our school in my fifth year. There were meant to be only three contestants, one from each school: Fleur Delacour was chosen from Beauxbaton, Viktor Krum from Durmstrang, and then I was chosen to represent Hogwarts, but that year something weird happened and a fourth name was chosen; our friend, Harry Potter."

"How was his name chosen if only three names were supposed to be chosen?" asked a confused Rosalie.

Chuckling, Cedric noted the worry flood over both Edward, and Wynter. Giving them both a confused look, he saw them just simply nod their heads at each other in an understanding that no one else seemed to know. "He umm… well he's always being thrown into dangerous situations," he told them, not wanting to get into too much detail about Harry. "Well anyways, these events that took place were extremely dangerous. Stealing an egg from a dragon with only our wands, having to dive deep into the Black Lake and go through murderous mermaids to retrieve the one we love, and then finally the final task. I was already a nervous wreck when the final task arrived. Harry and I were both tied, and the entire school turned against Harry, assuming he put his own name into the Goblet of Fire. Even his own friends turned against him, so a couple of my friends from my own house-"

"You had houses at your school?" asked a confused Carlisle. "So this was a boarding school then?"

"Hogwarts is made up of four houses," Hermione went right into her teacher mode, forgetting that it was Cedric who was explaining everything to the vampires. "There is Gryffindor, the house that Wynter, and I were in – which is for the brave. Then there's Slytherin which is filled with all nasty little gits-" Cedric, Emmet, and Edward all noticed the glare that set in Wynter's eyes at Hermione's description for Slytherin, "Which takes in the horrible Purebloods, also known as the sly and cunning witches and wizards. There's Ravenclaw which takes in only the smart ones, and Hufflepuff which takes in the rest-"

"Hufflepuff doesn't discriminate like the rest of the houses do," Wynter jumped in quickly, obviously not liking Hermione's choice of words, "Although, their house seems to have had a very brave wizard. He gave up his life, and fought alongside us in the war. I still believe he was only in Hufflepuff because the sorting hat saw the kindness in his heart, and knew he didn't want to be labeled as brave, genius or cunning."

It was obvious that Cedric wanted to blush, even if his vampire blood wouldn't allow him to. "You were in Hufflepuff?" Jasper asked, quick to realize that it was Cedric whom Wynter was describing.

"Yes," Cedric smiled over at Wynter who was passive once again, "Thank you Wynter, and Hermione," clearing his throat, he continued explaining how he became a vampire, "So my friends from my house, they wanted me to relax, you see. They took me to this blood house," they could all see his urge to blush once more, and they saw how quick Edward was to smirk. "I… erm… well one thing led to another, and soon I was bitten by this vampire female I was with. Then I returned back to Hogwarts, and took place in the final task. It was this maze that plays mind tricks on you, and attempts to kill you. Viktor attacked Fleur and so on. Harry and I saved each other in the maze, and soon we were both running for the trophy. We made this deal where we would both touch it at the same time, both winning the task, and both bringing home the trophy, and both winning the prize money. Either way, it's Hogwarts that wins the tournament. But the trophy was a portkey instead."

"You both ended up in a cemetery," Edward gasped, shocked at the images pouring into him from Cedric's mind.

After the gasps from everyone else, minus the two witches who already knew the story, Cedric nodded his head. "Like always, someone was trying to kill Harry. They were shocked to see me, and killed me off in a heartbeat. I was just merely a spare. But of course, I was already bitten by a vampire. Instead of just dying, Voldemort helped turn me into a vampire."

"Voldemort?" questioned Esme. "Is that the one who wants to kill your friend Harry? Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Thank you Esme," he kindly smiled at the genuine concern in her eyes, "But we won that war two weeks ago. Harry killed Voldemort in the final battle at Hogwarts."

"Good!" exclaimed an excited Emmet.

Jasper felt the guilt flooding through Wynter, and became confused. He could sense the excitement that Voldemort was dead, but he felt her guilt at the same time. "Don't worry Esme," Alice's voice broke into his thoughts, "We'll all learn about Voldemort soon enough. For now, Edward and Cedric need to just learn about each other. Edward, now it's your turn. Explain to Cedric how you became a vampire."

"It was a hundred years ago," Edward began, looking across at Wynter, and Hermione, "I was only seventeen, and dying of the Spanish influenza. It had already claimed all of my family, killing them all off one by one. I was the last of the Masens to die. Carlisle was our doctor at that time, and he came to me with a proposition. I had nothing left to live for anyway, and everyone I loved had already been killed. That was when he turned me, and I became his first son. The first adopted Cullen."

"Masen?" everyone turned to Cedric. Edward was confused; he could no longer read his mind. Of course not – Cedric had been a wizard before he became a vampire; it's only obvious that he decided he didn't like Edward reading everything he was going to say before he said it. "I'm a Masen. My mum told me that her great-grandfather died from the influenza one hundred years ago. Her grandmum survived it merely because her great-grandmum didn't catch it, and she didn't have a chance to tell her husband that she was pregnant. She was only two months along when he died. She didn't find out until a month after his death. His name was Edwin Antonio Masen."

Carlisle began to laugh, while Esme flew her hands to her mouth in a quick motion. If vampires could cry, she would have tears of joy in her eyes right now. Alice began to clap excitedly, while Emmet and Jasper just stared at the two clones. Rosalie was also grinning. "Edwin?" Edward's voice was cracked. "My brother Edwin?"

"Your brother?" Cedric was confused. "You mean my great-great-grandfather was your brother?"

"Edwin was older than me by two years," Edward nodded his head, proud to finally have a living family member. But then the excitement died down. Cedric was no longer living. He had been turned into a vampire. The rage began to boil inside of him. "My nephew, you are my nephew. And you were murdered!"

Sensing that his brother was about to attack somebody. Anybody! Emmet quickly jumped to his feet, "Calm down bro, you finally have family. You finally have blood family with you. I mean sure, you have all of us, but look at it this way. You have a blood family now," then a strange look came across his face, "No way! You're my nephew too. The nephew of my brother is my nephew as well. Cool!"

"Your name is Edward?" questioned a confused Hermione. "And your brother's name was Edwin?"

Chuckling, Edward nodded his head. Running both his hands through his standing up hair, he said, "My parents weren't very original. My brother's name was Edwin Antonio Masen. I'm Edward Anthony Masen."

"I like that," Wynter smiled. Speaking for only the second time since they met her, and everyone turned to her. "They gave him the Italian version, and gave you the English version. It's cute. Edwin and Edward; Antonio and Anthony," then she turned to Cedric, "And look Cedric. You finally have family that you can see. You can learn about your Masen history, and maybe Edward can help convince you to see your mum and dad."

Rosalie turned to Cedric when she heard that. "Your parents don't know you're alive? Or well not alive, but you know what I mean," Cedric shook his head. "Why not? They know you're a wizard right?"

"Dad's a Pureblood," he nodded his head, "Mum's a muggle, but yes, she knows as well."

"Muggle?"

"A non-magic person," explained Hermione. "Wynter and I are both muggle-borns. Both of our parents have no magic in them. Cedric is a half-blood."

"Half wizard and half muggle?"

Cedric nodded his head, "Yeah."

"Well then if your dad's a pureblood, he should know that vampires exist right?" Cedric sighed, already knowing where Rosalie was going with this, "Then why don't you just go back home to him?"

Cedric sighed once more. "It isn't that easy. It took a day before I came back as a vampire. When Harry managed to escape from the cemetery, he took my body with him. My father was there waiting for me to return with the trophy. Instead, he saw Harry crying over my dead body, and shouting about Voldemort's return. My father mourned for me, and by the time I returned as a vampire, I was a new born. It took Harry, Hermione, Ron, and our headmaster Dumbledore to subdue me. An old professor of ours, Remus Lupin, he's a werewolf, and even he couldn't hold me down. When they finally managed to knock me out, they took me to Harry's godfather's house. It was there, that Sirius and Remus gave me all sorts of potions, and kept me chained up until I calmed down. I wasn't back to normal until last year, but by then, the war was already beginning, and I was reportedly dead for two years."

"Oh," Rosalie felt guilty. "Well it's still never too late. I think you should see him when you're ready. You're better now, you're no longer killing everything at first sight, and you have all of us as well now."

"Only Harry, Hermione, and Ron?" asked Jasper, earning a confused look from his family. They knew how much Jasper didn't really like to talk. "Where was Wynter?"

The said girl shook her head, "They didn't know I existed until our fifth year. The tournament took place in our fourth year, although it was Cedric's fifth year. He's a year older than us. So when Cedric re-awoke the day after the tournament in Dumbledore's office, I had nothing to do with them."

"She was there when I came to though," Cedric kindly smiled at his young friend. Although he's known the golden trio longer, she was his favorite – always to herself, and never butting into other people's business. She knew when to stand up, and when to blend in. "Helping me to come to the terms of what I was."

"And he helped us out in the war," Wynter's smile was just as warm as his. "Voldemort had vampires on his side, and Cedric was the only vampire who backed us up. Unlike all the other vampires, and wolves who backed up Voldemort doing the war, Cedric and Remus were the only ones we had. And it's not like Remus can change whenever he wants to; falling ill only to the full moon unlike Voldemort's soldiers. Cedric however was quick to pull us away, and to warn us when we were about to be bit. Cedric was also the one who found us when Hermione was being tortured. He could hear her shouts from miles away, and managed to get through the wards-" turning to look at Hermione who was now trying to hide the scarred words carved into her forearm, all the vampires tried to figure out just exactly how much they were all hiding from them about this Voldemort guy, "Rescuing her first, then coming back for the rest of us, Cedric helped us out then. He came through for us a lot, helping to save a lot of lives that would've been lost if he weren't with us."

"Like Lavender Brown," Hermione hissed out in a low tone. Of course though, being surrounded by vampires, everyone could hear her.

"You aren't even with him, Hermione," Wynter rolled her eyes. "You don't even like him like that."

"I don't care," her voice was highly pitched. "I just don't understand why Cedric had to save Lavender."

"We don't allow wolves to eat our friends, Hermione," Cedric rolled his eyes. When Hermione muttered something that oddly sounded like, _she isn't our friend,_ he smirked, then looked at Emmet who seemed amused, "Lavender went out with Ron in their fifth year, and Hermione's hated her ever since."

Glaring at Cedric for making it seem as if she was a love sick school girl with a grudge, Hermione cleared her throat. "Lavender is the school's slag. Everyone's slept with the girl. I just didn't like the fact that she was using my friend."

"Sure," Wynter also rolled her own eyes.

Clearing her own throat, Alice stood up, "Very well then. Now that everyone knows everyone, and Edward and Cedric have found each other, let's go shopping girls."

"Wait Alice-" Edward also stood up, "Bella and Charlie will be back at seven tonight. Bella wanted us to drop them off by then."

"Where does Uncle Charlie think we are right now?" asked Hermione.

"He thinks that your flight comes in at five," Alice answered her question, "So Bella told him that she asked me to pick you three up from the airport. She explained that you know a cousin of Edward's, who will be coming with you two, but will be staying with us, so he doesn't feel guilty about me picking you guys up."

Nodding his head, Edward grinned at Hermione, "So Hermione, what do you think of your new cousin-in-law so far?"

Matching his grin, Hermione stood up as well, "Not bad so far, but I want to talk to my cousin first. There's something about her becoming a vampire that I don't understand."

**A/N: I lost my Twilight book and couldn't remember if Edward had a brother or a sister, but I remember something about him being the last to die of the Spanish influenza, sorry. I'm trying to make this as legit as possible though. You know as legit as if Cedric could be a great grandnephew of Edward, and if Wynter were real in Harry Potter. Please review! What do you guys think of this so far? (:**

**Oh and I also want it known that this story is mainly a Draco/OC story, but with a lot of Hermione/Jacob in it. The only reason why I have Hermione, and Jacob as the names in the summary thing, is because it won't let me put Draco and an OC, and I don't want to put Draco/Jacob in case anybody gets the wrong idea. This is about Jacob/Hermione, but mainly about Draco/Wynter. - I just wanted to make that clear(:**


	3. Silk Dresses and Spoken Minds

Silk Dresses and Spoken Minds

"Bella isn't graceful either Hermione, but you'll both do perfectly in your heels at the wedding. Trust me. I've seen it, remember."

It was two hours later, and Wynter was sitting on a window seat watching Alice trying to help Hermione into her dress. This was supposedly the dress that Alice saw Hermione wearing in her vision of the wedding, and she loved it. The shine in Hermione's eyes proved that she loved it as well. It was odd though. In all the years of knowing Hermione, even if Hermione didn't know her, Wynter never would have imagined Hermione in something as beautiful as this. Of course, she looked beautiful enough at the Yule Ball to drive every male in the room into hormone crazed frenzies, but this was different. Hermione was no longer the awkward fourteen year old witch who blushed anytime anyone looked her way. She was now seventeen years old, prone to lustful eyes, and a war heroine. Hermione was a woman now, and this dress seemed to prove it.

Standing in front of Hermione, Alice pressed her two lips together, holding her hands on Hermione's shoulders. Although the two cousins looked nothing alike, she could see the resemblance when Hermione tried to do anything graceful. Taking a step back, she looked at the second girl who had an unwritten future. Wynter's gaze met hers, and they both nodded their heads in a silent agreement. Allowing Hermione to walk over to the mirror, she heard the girl's gasp.

Hermione had never felt so beautiful, so… so empowering before this moment. At the Yule Ball, Lavender had to hold her down, and pluck at her eyebrows, while Parvati worked away at her hair. It took both of them to work on her gown and her makeup, and in the end everyone fell in love with her for a night. But now, now she felt something new. A feeling she had never experienced before. Although her untouched curls remained in a frizzy bush around her face, she pressed her hands to her stomach. The gown was a golden color. One would think it matched the Cullen's eyes, but Hermione saw an auburn tinge in it. Hugging her chest tightly, it showed that she wasn't as flat as everyone expected her to be, while thin straps sat in place on her ivory shoulders. Although hugging onto her chest very tightly, it fit just perfectly down over her hips, and past her thighs, all the way to her ankles. Her red chipped painted toes were sticking out from two inch high golden colored heels.

"Then I was thinking of feathered earrings," Alice's voice returned to her, as she saw the smug vampire appear behind her in the mirror. "A caramel color to match your eyes. And simply just taming your curls," reaching out to grab onto Hermione's hair, she pulled the top half back, "And tying this part up only with an assortment of flowers. Bella wants your flowers to match hers. Rosalie wants to put just a simple outline of eyeliner to bring out your eyes even more, seeing as how they're already a delicious looking color."

"I look beautiful," Hermione exclaimed, continuing to stare at her own reflection in the mirror. "Thank you Alice," her eyes beamed at the proud smile that Alice was sporting, then they fell on her scar, and she suddenly shifted uncomfortably.

Sensing the sudden mood change in Hermione, Alice turned to Wynter for help. She didn't understand. Hermione looked beautiful; everything would work out according to plan. Why wasn't she happy anymore? "It's fine Hermione," Wynter nodded her head at Alice, approaching them. Taking Hermione's arm in her hand, she heard Alice let out a sigh. She finally understood. "I think your beauty overpowers it, but if you want, I can cover it up for you that day."

"You can't cover it," Hermione shook her head. Her pleading eyes were gazing into the hideous mark left to her by the psychotic Bellatrix Lestrange. "Remember, we tried everything. Even Snape can't hide it, and he's a potions master."

Rubbing her fingers over the scar, Wynter looked up at Hermione, "I'll find a way to hide it Hermione, only if you want to though. To me, it's a part of you. It shows your strength. You fought in a war, and you won. You proved to everyone that you're more than just a muggle-born. You are a _Mudblood_, Hermione. And if I were you, I would wear that with pride. Bellatrix carved that into you, wanting to weaken you, showing you that you are nothing more than the grime they often compare you to. Yet you proved her wrong, and everyone else who thought like her. You killed her husband in the war with a killing curse that none of them ever heard of before… in front of her eyes. You survived her cursing you for three hours straight, and you still won the war. She was killed by a mum protecting her child, but you… you Hermione, you killed a wolf that's killed thousands of innocents, you killed a man who turned Remus into the werewolf he is today, and you killed tons of Death Eaters, and helped to save the wizarding world. You proved Bellatrix and Voldemort wrong. A _Mudblood_ isn't an insult anymore Hermione, because it was a _Mudblood_ who saved thousands of lives."

Alice could feel the tears in her own eyes. It may not have been visible, and no one else could sense them, but she could feel them. If she were still a human, they would be falling right now. Hermione's tears did show however. Continuing to stare at the word in her arm, she realized that her friend was right. A small smile spread across her lips, and she looked up. "Thank you for reminding me of that, Wynter. You're right; it is something to be proud of. I don't think I want to hide it anymore at the wedding," when Wynter turned to walk away after nodding her head, Hermione reached out, and stopped her. "That speech goes for you as well Wynter. Bellatrix may not have tortured you, but we all know that Voldemort did. We know you turned him down, refusing to fight in his army, and we saw the aftermath. I wasn't the only one scarred in that war, and I'm not the only muggle-born who was tortured because of it. What you just said to me goes for you as well. You were stronger than the rest of them; they feared your strength, and you made it here as well. Remember that. You saved thousands of lives as well, proving everyone who said you were nothing, wrong. You saved lives, instead of killing them. You aren't evil, and you aren't a murderer. You're just as much a hero as I am. Or as much as Harry or Ron; if not, even more."

"Harry's the main hero," Wynter shook her head, pulling away from Hermione. "And you, and Ron. And Cedric, Sirius, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and everyone else. But Harry; he's the one who killed Voldemort."

Alice saw that Wynter was already returning to her seat at the window. Watching the confusing girl that even she couldn't understand, she heard the muttered words that Hermione hadn't meant for anyone to ever hear, "But only because you handed his already half-dead body to Harry."

It took only half an hour to claim Wynter's gown. A gown that she couldn't believe she was getting to wear. Her heels were identical to Hermione's, only a separate color, and she became curious at the silly grin Alice had on her face the entire time. Something was off about the entire thing, and it worried her. She had faith that they wouldn't allow any harm to come to any of them, but something was off about the entire thing. It made her edgy. Why was she here? She had never met Hermione's cousin before, nor has she ever heard of her until they received the invitation. Hermione didn't seem to notice anything odd though. She was just too excited to have a beautiful and expensive gown that Edward insisted Alice use his card to pay for, and at the idea of her favorite cousin getting married. They're only one day apart apparently; both still only seventeen.

"I'll keep your gowns and heels at my house," Alice stated as they pulled into the Swans' driveway, "You're going to get ready there anyways. Oh, you're both going to look so beautiful. I'll see you two soon. Give Bella my love."

"Thank you Alice," Hermione hugged the girl from the passenger seat, grabbing her things, "For everything. Thank you so much. I love that gown. And thank you for keeping an eye on my cousin."

"Of course," Alice smiled, hugging the girl back.

Hermione was the first out of the car, waiting by the shut door for her friend. "I don't feel right having Edward pay for my things," Wynter finally spoke up from the backseat. "I have an American credit card-" when Alice gave her a weird look, she chuckled, "Hermione's not the only one with an American family. I have a cousin who lives in California. I used to visit her a couple times before. Let me pay you guys back."

"No," Alice shook her head, "Don't even think about it. Edward will be insulted. You're practically family already."

"But I'm not-"

"Doesn't matter," Alice shook her head again. "You should go out now. Charlie doesn't trust our family in general. The longer you stay in the car with me, the longer he'll stay worried."

Sighing in defeat, Wynter nodded her head, "Thank you Alice. And tell Edward I said thank you as well."

"He says you're welcome," laughing at the girl's confusion as she opened her door, Alice pointed up at the trees, "He likes to hang around the trees a lot."

Shaking her head, Wynter shut the door behind her. Ignoring Hermione's questioning gaze, she chuckled, "That's borderline stalkerish, Edward," she whispered into the night.

"Hermione!" a tall pale looking girl ran over to the two girls. Wynter watched as Hermione started instantly laughing, and dropped her things to the ground. Long lanky arms wrapped around Hermione, and Hermione mimicked the girl's movements. Wynter observed her. She was plain looking, as plain as Hermione, but even more plain. If that made any sense. Dark brown hair fell like strings to her shoulder blades, while Hermione's curls fell just past her shoulders. Whereas Hermione constantly wore plain white diamonds in each earlobe, this girl had nothing in her ears. Her face was emotionless, as if she were preparing to become a vampire already. Dressed in long loose fitting blue jeans that matched Hermione's, and a plain t-shirt that fell to her thighs, Wynter could see the resemblance in only how they dressed. Other than that, there was no resemblance to prove that Hermione Granger and Bella Swan were related in any way.

Laughing, Hermione released her cousin, "Bella look at you. You're beautiful. You grew up since I last saw you."

"I would hope so," Bella smiled. At least Wynter interpreted it to be a smile, but it was more like a twitch of her lips. "I'm younger than you by only one day."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione grabbed tightly onto Wynter's wrist. A sign that she was nervous, but Wynter couldn't understand why the war hero would be nervous. This is _her_ family after all. "Bella, this is my friend Wynter. Wynter, this is my cousin Bella."

"Hello," Bella's lips twitched again, proving to Wynter that, that is her smile. "It's nice to meet you."

Accepting the warm hug that Bella was now pulling her into, Wynter smiled back, "Hullo, it's nice to meet you as well. Congratulations by the way. And thanks for allowing me at your wedding."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," Bella grinned, pulling both girls into the house with her. "Edward told me about your friend Cedric. That's so cool, but really weird how that worked out. I swear, sometimes Alice creeps me out with her visions. So Hermione, did you warn-"

"Uncle Charlie!" Hermione squealed out excitedly.

Already knowing what Bella was going to ask Hermione, Wynter nodded her head, and whispered, "He doesn't know anything. Yep, she told me all about that, and the story about the boarding school, as well."

"Thanks," Bella whispered back.

Smiling down at the girl that he just released, Charlie Swan took in his ex-wife's cousin's daughter. Some people would think it was odd that his ex-wife's niece would rather stay with him than her blood aunt, but Bella and Hermione had always been so close. Born just one day apart, they continued to keep in close contact, and even after the divorce, Hermione would rather stay with him than with Renee. No one complained though, she was just like another daughter to him, and as long as she was happy. "Hermione," he chuckled. "Look at you; all grown up. You're not getting married as well are you?"

"Dad," Bella rolled her eyes, playfully shoving her dad away. Turning to Hermione and Wynter, she explained, "He doesn't exactly like Edward. And he makes it known that he doesn't approve of me getting married at seventeen."

"I just think that you should give it time, and look around some more. Then when you're fifty, and you decide you still want Edward, then you can go ahead and marry him," he explained, defending himself. His eyes then landed on the quiet girl who was just observing everything. "Hi!" he smiled again, "You must be Hermione's friend, Wynter. I'm Uncle Charlie."

She liked him. Although his mustache looked as if he glued it on, and she could see the murderous glint in his eyes every time Edward's name or the marriage was brought up, she liked him. He was nice. He introduced himself as _Uncle_ to her. "Hullo," she held out her hand to shake his, but was shocked when he pulled her into a hug instead.

"Dad," Bella groaned. Turning an apologetic look to Wynter, she started to fiddle with her hands, "Sorry about him. He's like a giant teddy bear though."

She laughed. "It's alright. I don't mind. Thank you for allowing me to stay here, Uncle Charlie."

Charlie laughed as well. Wrapping an arm around the two witches' shoulders, he started leading them towards the stairs, "You're practically like family already Wynter, so don't worry about it. Any friend of Hermione's is welcome here anytime. Did Alice feed you two already?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded her head. "She said that Bella explained how you two had a dinner party to go to, and we were both hungry. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," Charlie grinned. "I've always liked Alice. She's got a bright head on her, that one. I just don't know about her brother."

"Dad," Bella groaned again. "Hey, aren't you supposed to call Billy?"

Releasing the two girls, he nodded his head, "You're right. Bella will show you two to the guest room. I hope you don't mind, but you'll both be sharing a room for now. Unless Hermione, you don't mind sharing with Bella, that way Wynter can have her own room."

"I don't mind sharing," Wynter quickly said.

Noticing the blush spread onto her friend's face, Hermione quickly came to her rescue, "Yeah, I don't mind sharing a room either. Back at our school, we both shared a room with four other girls as well. It's quite fine Uncle Charlie."

"I'll be back up to check on you girls," he nodded his head, not noticing anything weird about Wynter's sudden outburst. "I just have a quick phone call to make."

Entering the bedroom, Wynter saw how Bella wasn't surprised to see Edward already standing by their window. She was however, a little shocked to see Cedric there as well. Allowing Bella to lock the door behind them, Wynter took in the room. It was a cute tiny bedroom, reminding her of her own home before she found out about Hogwarts. There was one single window, which had a pink colored curtain over it. The pink curtain had white polka dots on it. There was a single, large sized bed, that looked as if it could fit two people comfortably, or three if you squeeze them on it. The sheets were also pink, with white polka dots on it, and the comforter matched it. There were a total of four pillows, two with just white pillowcases, and two with the white and pink pillowcases. There was a trunk at the foot of the bed, where she placed her bag, and then there was a large dresser against one of the walls, with a stereo on it. She noticed the closet doors were open with empty hangers, extra pillows, and two extra comforters in it. On each side of the bed was a white nightstand with a lamp on each one.

"_Accio wand,"_ once the wand was in her hands, Wynter let out a sigh of relief. She had been edgy all day without her wand in her hands. She watched as Hermione did the same. Turning to the now locked door, she directed her wand at it, _"Muffliato,"_ when she saw the confused looks that both Edward and Bella gave her, she held her wand up for them to see that she meant them no harm. "It's sort of a silencing spell, only this one blocks off anyone from hearing anything inside this room. If your dad were to walk by, Bella, he would only hear a faint buzzing sound."

"That would've come in handy all those nights you were sneaking into my room," Bella announced, looking at Edward.

Scrunching up her face, Hermione ignored the smirking chuckle coming from Edward. He didn't have to read her mind to know what she was thinking, "Eew Bella."

"What?" Bella's jaw dropped, and Cedric took a seat on the bed next to Wynter, as they silently watched the scene in front of them. Blushing deeply, she shook her head, "No, not like that. I mean, we didn't do anything, Hermione. I just meant that we really had to whisper so my dad couldn't hear what we were saying. That's so gross. That's like when Dad tried to have the sex talk with me," she blushed again. "Can we just stop talking about this now?"

Edward was watching Bella closely. This was the second time he's heard her just ramble on without stopping until afterwards. She's never been this talkative before. Well okay – there were those moments when she would normally ramble on about things that he didn't understand, or when she would argue with him until she got her way, but never like this. He loved the rambling part of her, and he found himself loving this over-talkative side of her as well. And all it took was for her cousin to bring it out of her.

"So where are your dresses?" Cedric asked.

"Alice said we aren't allowed to discuss it with either of you," Hermione explained. "You too, Bella. She wants it to be a surprise when you all see us."

Bella let out a smirking chuckle before hiding it behind her hand. Edward gave her a puzzled look, and she nodded her head, "Alice told me."

"The surprise?" he asked.

Hermione allowed her cousin to nod her head before turning to Edward, "Thank you for the dresses, Edward. But you didn't have to pay for them."

"It's my pleasure," he simply bowed his head at her. "We are family now after all."

Seeing Edward turn to her as well, Wynter held up her finger, "If you tell me that we're practically family now, I swear it Edward, I will rape your bloody mind until I find out what this secret everyone is on, but us three, and then I will hex you. Hex you!"

"I was simply just going to say that-" seeing her wand pointed at him, Edward hid behind Bella. He would jump in front of anyone for her, and protect her from anything, except for now. Hermione was a witch to. She wouldn't let Wynter harm her cousin. But the vampire virgin marrying her cousin, Hermione may let Wynter hurt him. "I don't know what they're hiding either," he quickly stated.

Raising an eyebrow at Edward, Wynter nodded her head. "Very well then."

"Somebody's jumpy," Cedric nudged his friend with an elbow. "Could it be that you're missing a certain ferret of yours?"

Hermione saw the way her cousin hid her choking behind her fists, covering it up with a cough, and she groaned. This wasn't good. In the beginning, she didn't bother to question why Alice saw Wynter in Forks, but now she was getting suspicious. Why did her cousin know about the ferret? "What do you know, Bella?"

"Nothing," realizing she spoke too fast, she turned to Edward for help, but like the glittering vampire he was, he was cowering behind her. "Alice made me promise not to tell. She only told Rosalie, and me. She knew that Edward would cower to Wynter and tell her everything, and she knew that Emmet and Jasper would over react. But she trusts that Wynter wouldn't harm me, and Rosalie is hunting out of town until the wedding."

"What do you know, Bella?" Hermione asked again.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "She didn't tell us everything. Well, only a little part. Something about the wedding, but she won't tell us anything past then."

"Do I die?"

All heads turned to the calm girl sitting in the middle of the bed. She had been gazing at her wand for the past couple of minutes. "What?" Bella shouted out. "No! Of course not! Oh god no! Is that… is that you guys think?" when Hermione, Cedric, and even Edward nodded their heads, Bella shook hers again, "Oh god no – no Wynter, you don't die. Don't worry about that. If that were the case, we would all be working to protect you right now, not dress you up all pretty like then hand you over to death. So don't worry, you don't die at the wedding."

"Very well then," they all heard the change in her tone. She was no longer worried anymore. How odd. "We'll drop it then."

"But Wynter, my cousin knows-"

"I don't die, Hermione," Wynter turned to Hermione. Edward noticed how fast Hermione was to shut her mouth. "Let's just drop it. Alice made your cousin promise not to say anything to us, so don't pressure her into breaking her promise."

_Voldemort wanted me in his army,_ Edward heard the already familiar tone talking to him, but he saw the girl on the bed talking about something with Bella now. The words coming out of her mouth weren't what he heard in his mind, _Hermione fears that one day I'll snap, and join the dark side. Voldemort is dead, but another army is rising. They're all scared that I'll lead it. It's why they listen to me. I didn't ask for this authority. It just came to me,_ he realized what it was; she was allowing him into her mind. She was allowing him to hear her thoughts. She knew he was questioning why Hermione was quick to shut up when she basically said to, and she was explaining herself to him, _they think I don't know why they listen to me, and they think I don't notice how they all flinch when I hold onto my wand. Watch – _continuing to watch the girl who was talking to him with her mind, Edward saw how Hermione and Cedric both instinctively moved an inch away from her, when she lifted her wand up. After hearing her mutter a spell to warm the room up, he nodded his head to show her that he witnessed what she wanted him to. _They fear me, yet they try to convince me I'm a good person. I helped to win the war, killing off the bad guys, yet they fear me. _

"So Bella," Hermione looked up at her cousin, who was now watching Edward with a curious look on her face. When Bella turned to answer her though, Hermione's attention was also on Edward. There was a struggling look on his face; it seemed that he was trying to fight the urge to do something. When Bella cleared her throat, Hermione saw that everyone in the room was now staring at her. "In your letter, you said that Edward was going to turn you into a vampire. Why? And what do you mean Jacob's a wolf? He's like eight. And why did he try to kill Edward? What on earth have I missed out on all these years?"

_I am a good person, Edward_, Wynter continued to press her thoughts into his mind_, if I wanted to become evil, I would've joined Voldemort when he sent Malfoy to me when we were fifteen. Instead though, I turned him down, took the beating, and ran to Harry them. I joined them instead, and told them everything. I didn't hide it from them. I am a good person, right?_ Edward heard the second guessing in her tone. He realized she was questioning herself. Hermione and Cedric treated her like a friend, but when she would say something, or raise her wand, they treated her like a feared enemy. He felt sorry for her. Staring her in her eyes, he nodded his head at her. _You are a good person Wynter,_ he said with his mind, praying that she was reading him. _I can sense it in you. So can Alice, or else she wouldn't have brought you here._

"-so then Alice called me. She had a vision of me jumping off the cliff, but didn't see Jacob jump in and save me. Rosalie went to Edward, and told him that I killed myself-"

_I don't like people poking around in my mind. This is rare that I'll speak to you like this_; Edward nodded his head once more. Around them, he heard Bella explaining everything to Cedric and Hermione, but he had his own conversation going on with Wynter. He saw Cedric watching them, observing, knowing that they were speaking with their minds, but listening to everything that Bella was saying. _I just wanted you to know why Hermione was quick to shut up when I said to. I need you to know that I am a good person. _I _need to know that I am a good person. You can think what you want, and continue to judge me as I know you have,_ when Edward gave a confused look, she continued, _I can read you just as clear as you read the others, Edward. You were judging me. But it's alright, everyone judges me… even my friends. I don't mind being judged. I just want my turn to explain my side. So thank you for listening._

"-Victoria caught up to me, but Edward killed her. Then when the Volturi returned, they said that I didn't have much time left. So we need to get married as quickly as possible or else they'll kill me, and when I sent Jacob the invitation, he took off, not ready to accept the-"

Edward continued watching the once again silent girl. He could tell that she was finished talking to him. He heard everything his fiancée said, as well as the gasps that came from Hermione, Cedric, and even Wynter as Bella continued to explain their history to them, but his mind was stuck on the girl that he just had a silent conversation with. It explained a lot, but in a sense it explained nothing to him. He knew only very little about Voldemort from Bella, because apparently Hermione didn't want to fill her in on too much about him. The less that she knows, the safer she is, but he does know that Voldemort is an evil dark wizard who wanted to kill anyone whose blood isn't pure; at least pure as in the sense of a pureblooded witch or a pureblooded wizard. He knew enough to know that Harry Potter was the only one who could kill Voldemort, but something else was puzzling him now. They feared that this cute looking, shy, innocent little girl was the next Voldemort? The fear was inevitable in their eyes now as he looked closer upon it, but he couldn't believe it. Why? Why was this girl feared? And why did Alice make it a point of bringing her out here to Forks for the wedding? What the hell was his sister seeing?

**A/N: Thank you to, **_**Auspicious-Stars, **_**for helping out with the brother/sister thing. I feel so lame now ): but thanks for the compliments as well, and I'm glad you like how the stories going so far(: now to everyone… next chapter is when it starts getting more intense. I'm 13 chapters, and 137 pages into it so far on my laptop, and I think it's almost complete. But I'm warning you guys, it's going to get dark for a short while. - please review! :3**


	4. May I Have This Dance

**A/N: Thanks to **_**CheshireCat23**_** for pointing out that I spelt the authors name wrong in the disclaimer. It's **_**Stephenie Meyer, **_**not **_**Stephanie Meyer**_**! And also this has been re-edited thanks to **_**Auspicious-Stars**_** for pointing out my spelling mistakes and just plain mistakes in general in the original posted chapter! (:**

May I Have This Dance

Cedric and Hermione were grinning at each other from across the aisle. As Bella requested, Hermione was in fact the maid of honor. And now that Edward had a blood relative, Emmet was more than excited to step down from the position of the best man. Of course, everyone was talking about the scene; the Edward clone was standing right next to the groom, who was dressed in a white tux, wearing a black tuxedo. Whispers were reaching all of the vampires' ears, talking of how beautiful the bride's cousin had become. Dressed just as Alice and Rosalie had planned her to, even Wynter was having a hard time believing that, that was her friend from Hogwarts.

Dressed in a short sleeved, lavender colored dress, Alice approached Wynter. Looking past Alice, Wynter saw that Rosalie was wearing a long sleeved pale pink colored dress that sat on her knees. Rosalie's eyes seemed to beam as she looked over at Wynter. Within a second, she was being cornered by the two Vampire sisters/sister-in-laws. Wynter couldn't help but to admire them for everything they were. As beautiful as they were, and as well dressed as from the day she met them, you would think they were dressed for any normal day. Looking around, it wasn't difficult to spot the vampires from the humans. The humans were paled in comparison to the beauties that surrounded them.

"You look so gorgeous," Alice squealed while pulling Wynter into a tight embrace.

"Thank you," she smiled back, seeing as it was the polite thing to do. "You're both beautiful right now; as always."

"Do you think so?" Alice, the ever so modest one, began to look a little worried. "I normally don't wear my hair up like this, and Rosalie prefers her hair down all the time as well. You don't think this is overdoing it do you?"

Taking in the way that Alice's spiked up hair, was now flat ironed, so it could be tied back into a tiny little French braided bun, and Rosalie's hair was also tied back into a French braided bun, Wynter shook her head, "No, of course not. It's very beautiful on the both of you; very flattering."

"Where's your wand?" Rosalie asked suddenly.

Feeling her hand inch towards the garter belt beneath her dress, Wynter was on the lookout. "Why? Do we need it?"

"No," Alice glared at her sister, "It's just that Rosalie's wondering where you managed to hide it after all."

Examining the skin tight gown that the young witch was wearing, Rosalie cocked an eyebrow. "I don't see it."

There was a light chuckle. "Glamour spell," Wynter nodded her head, patting her stomach. "I have it right here."

Hermione and Cedric's eyes fell on Wynter, and they both gasped. They were standing at the altar with Edward since they were ready, and didn't get the chance to see Wynter walk out of the house with Emmet until just now. Surrounded by Rosalie and Alice, they would have thought she was one of them. Her usually bouncing curls were now flat ironed, reaching her lower back, and shining more than usual. Whereas Alice gave Hermione caramel colored feathers to wear in her ears, Wynter's tiny silver balls were replaced with tiny heart shaped teardrops that dangled just above her shoulders. The teardrops were oddly colored though, looking as if someone melted the sky with a hurricane. Where they painted Hermione's fingers and toes a golden/auburn color, they painted Wynter's nails a melted silver color. Wearing black eyeliner that brought out her rainy colored eyes even more, they added silver glitter along the edges of her eyes, bringing it out even more than that. Hermione's lips were painted red, but Wynter's lips were just glossed over, making it shine, instead of adding color. Wearing the silver colored two inch open toed heels that Alice chose for her, Hermione could see the relaxed look Wynter had in her heels, versus her feeling as if she were going to fall. It was the dress though; the dress was really what caught her attention. Hermione saw the dress at the store when Alice made Wynter try it on, but she wasn't expecting this. The color of soft silver, reminding both Hermione and Cedric of something they've seen before – something they couldn't quite place their fingers on – it was strapless. Hugging Wynter tightly, it showed that she was also quite large in the chest department, and curvy in all the rest, the dress hugged her all the way to her thighs, where it suddenly stopped.

"She did it," Hermione said in a low whisper. "She actually did it."

Edward and Cedric could both hear that Hermione didn't want anyone to hear her, but with their vampire hearing, they could. Seeing as how Cedric knew Hermione the longest, he questioned it. "She did what?"

"Her scars," Hermione pointed to her own visible war wound, then to her own back. "I wanted to cover mine up, but Wynter told me to wear it with pride. I was a war hero, and being a _Mudblood_ is nothing to be ashamed of. Last night, I asked her if she would wear hers with pride to, and she told me she was going to. And she did it. I expected her to hide hers. I mean she has more than I do."

"Scars?" turning his head to look at the girl they were talking about, Edward saw it. Wynter turned her back to them, to smile at someone Alice was introducing her to, and he could see them. Starting from the back of her neck, it looked as if someone ran a thorny whip over her back then clawed at her. It stopped at where her dress began, but he could tell it went in further.

It was Cedric who nodded his head, "Hermione and Wynter were both taken as prisoners when they were caught. It wasn't until a couple hours later that I found them. Hermione was tortured with the _Cruciatus Curse_, and had the word _Mudblood_ carved into her by Bellatrix Lestrange – a psycho bitch – but Wynter was taken in by Voldemort himself; Voldemort, Rodolphus Lestrange – Bellatrix's husband – and Greyback; the same wolf who turned Remus."

"I tried to shout for Cedric to rescue Wynter first, but I was already starting to blacken out," Hermione explained. "I couldn't speak at all."

"It wasn't until I returned for the rest, that Harry shouted at me that Voldemort had Wynter," Cedric chuckled while shaking his head before finishing the rest of the story. "Would you believe that when I went to grab her, she shouted at me to get Harry and the others out first? She said she was just a pawn, but Harry was the one who needed to kill Voldemort. She wanted to make sure he was safe before herself."

"What did you do?" Emmet was just about to walk back into his house to check on Bella, when he heard the story, and joined his brother and friends at the altar. He found himself attracted to Wynter. If you looked at her, you wouldn't expect this from her, but if there's anything he learned; it's that you've always got to keep an eye out for those innocent looking ones, because those are the ones that always turn out to be the most dangerous.

Seeing that Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Esme, Carlisle, and the rest of the other vampires were all keeping an attentive ear on him, Cedric continued, "I flew Greyback away from her, and grabbed her anyways. I'm not that dense to keep her back in a room filled with the world's darkest wizard, a psychotic werewolf, and a sadistic prick who likes to torture people. It was by luck enough that I managed to enter that room the first time. I did however return to the basement of the Malfoy Manor, and grab the others."

Uncomfortable in how tight her dress was, Wynter looked over at her two friends, and waved. Smiling as they waved back, she had no idea that they were all explaining a grim conversation about her scars. Trying to avoid all the staring eyes that were watching her, she rolled her eyes at the drool from Bella's friend's lips. Alice introduced her to them, and now Mike could only drool at her. Mike and Eric; at least, that's what she thinks Alice said their names were. Walking past a family of vampires that Alice had also introduced her to, Wynter heard a low growl. Stopping in her tracks, and quickly turning around because she thought the growl was meant for her, she saw them glaring past her.

"Filthy dogs," one of them muttered.

"I can't believe Carlisle would allow them to come."

"They're stinking up the place."

"That one was there when they killed Laurent."

"Stupid mutts."

"Wynter," jumping as a hand touched her lower back, Wynter looked up and saw Carlisle smiling down at her; his handsome smile still in place, as his hair was neatly gelled back. "Come, let me introduce you to our friends," then kindly bowing his head at his vampire cousins as if he hadn't heard anything they had growled, he simply said, "Cousins, I do hope your enjoying yourselves."

Shaking her head as Carlisle led her to who she presumed to be from Jacob's pack, she felt the need to apologize. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I thought they were growling at me," Wynter blushed. "I reached for my wand, until I heard them talking about the wolves."

"It's understandable," he smiled as he nodded his head. "It's been only three weeks since you fought in a war where the vampires were the enemy. Hermione also reached for her wand when she heard one of our cousins growling just a couple feet behind her. None of my cousins blame you two. You're jumpy, and acting out on defense is expected."

Turning back to the vampires that she was just standing by, she saw them all kindly smile, and nod their heads at her in a friendly gesture. Smiling, she did the same. "Alright, thanks."

She saw that there were only two of them. One was in a wheelchair and the other looked no more than only fifteen. Instantly she knew who they were: Billy Black; the father from Jacob, and Seth Clearwater. Bella explained everything about the Quileute wolves for her to know who was who by just a simple glance. She was confused though. Why were there only two of them? Ignoring the fact that they were both dressed neatly in suits, and dressed for the wedding, Wynter's eyes immediately began to scan the forest. There would never be only two of them. The rest were hiding out in the forest – she was sure of it.

"That's our girl," Cedric chuckled, shaking his head.

"What is it?" Jasper felt the tension rise from Wynter. "Something's wrong with her."

Hearing his brother, Emmet quickly growled, "What is it Jasper? We can't let them hurt Wynter. I'll break the treaty if I have to."

"Nothing's wrong," Hermione shook her head. She was glad that they were quick to be ready to protect her friend though. Wynter needed to know that she had people who loved her enough to jump to her protection. "Wynter's just always on guard. From all the stories that Bella told us about Jacob and the pack, she knows how they are never alone. Seeing only one of them with Billy, it set her alarms off. She knows that the others are hiding out in the forest."

"A true soldier," Jasper spoke with a haunting emotion. Hermione felt guilty as she remembered hearing about Jasper's past. "Always on guard, always ready for a fight, and always alert."

"Exactly."

Feeling eyes on her, Wynter turned around. Looking up at the podium where Edward would soon marry Bella, she smiled and waved again. For someone who was always on guard about the simplest of things, and knew that her friends feared her, she was so trustworthy of those very friends. Assuming that they were staring at her because she was about to meet the wolves, she turned back to Carlisle, who was now watching her as well. "Are you alright, Wynter?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded her head. "The rest of the pack is hiding out in the forest, Carlisle. I trust they are here for safety precautions?"

He nodded his head as well, saddened that the conversation between his sons, Hermione, and Cedric was true. "Yes, Billy fears that Jacob may do something stupid to prevent Bella from marrying Edward. His pack is watching to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Ahh Carlisle," Billy Black held out his hand to the vampire, ignoring the hisses that followed from some of the other wedding guests. "Thank you again for saving my son's life, and thank you for inviting us here. I've got to admit, I never imagined the day I'd see little Bella Swan getting married. Even as a child she was bit into the mud."

Laughing, Carlisle took no offense to what was said, but instead nodded his head, "You're welcome, Billy. And I'm glad that Jacob healed nicely. Have you heard from him yet?" when both Seth and Billy shook their heads, he sighed, then pulled Wynter in closer to them. "Billy, Seth, this is Wynter Morris. She's a friend of Bella's cousin Hermione," pointing over at Hermione, he heard Billy laugh again. "Wynter, this is Billy Black, and Seth Clearwater. Wynter and Hermione are both witches from Hogwarts Academy over in Scotland."

"Witches?" Billy looked over at Hermione then began to laugh again, "That explains a lot. At least now I know why Jacob ended up on the roof of our home whenever Hermione would come to visit us with Bella," shaking his head as he laughed about a memory only he understood, Billy held out his hand to Wynter. "It's a pleasure to meet you Wynter. Would I be too crass if I said you looked lovely this evening?"

Politely smiling, Wynter could hear the chuckles from the vampires all around her. Truth be told, she's had to turn down two vampires already and turn to Emmet for help when they bared their teeth at her. "Thank you Mr. Black. And may I say you're very dashing yourself."

Chuckling in tune with everyone who could hear them, Billy shook his head. "Please, it's Billy. And you're too kind. Carlisle, please take me to see your lovely wife so I can praise her on how wonderful this place looks."

"Of course Billy," Carlisle chuckled. After a head nod of assurance from Wynter, he began to roll Billy away, saying something about how it was Alice who actually planned everything.

"So a witch, huh?" Seth asked, with his hands in his pockets. Looking over at him, Wynter saw the blush on his face, and she giggled, which seemed to make him blush even more. "That's pretty cool. What's that like?"

"It's okay," she nodded her head. "We have a wand, we ride brooms, and we say spells. Just like how they have it in your storybooks. What's it like being a wolf who can change at any time?" seeing his confusion, she continued. "We have this friend, Remus Lupin. He was bitten by a wolf when he was still only a kid, and now he can only change during a full moon. But according to Bella, you guys can change whenever you want to."

"Really?" there was excitement in his eyes now, "I've heard about those types of werewolves before. A slave to the moon right?" when Wynter nodded her head, Seth continued, reminding her of a child whose just been told that witches, vampires, and wolves are real. "I thought those were always only legends. So is it true then? When they transform do they really become all hideous looking, showing only their bones, with large claws, and sharp teeth?"

"Yep," she nodded her head again. "At least from what I've seen when Remus turns. And he can't control it. He tries to kill anybody. I heard that during our third year in school, he tried killing Hermione and two of our other friends as well. I still don't get it, but during the war, when the wolves attacked us, it was bright daylight out, and they all transformed at their will, turning into just large dogs."

"That's us," Seth nodded his head also. "Once we learn to accept what we are, we can transform at will as well. Until we learn to control it though, it's always just when we're pissed. But we aren't scary looking; just very large cuddly dogs."

Wynter laughed. He was cute. In a little – three years younger than her – brother type of way. "Can you control it?"

"Nah," he sighed now. "Well only a little bit. I can change at will, but I still can't control it when I'm pissed. Only the older wolves can. Well we're really called shape-shifters, but over the years they started to know us as wolves. Bella always just calls us wolves."

"Remus explained to us the history of shape-shifters back in our third year," she explained to him. "He was our professor that year, and when the full moon would come around, he would be out sick, so we had Professor Snape teaching us. He taught us about wolves, I guess hoping that Hermione would catch onto Remus. When Remus returned, he decided to keep up the lesson. He was shocked when we wrote to him the other night, telling him that Hermione's cousin was friends with the legends."

"Wow! You mean they teach about us at your school? Hey, I like your accent by the way."

"Thanks," she was laughing, and with a side glance, she saw Cedric laughing as well. "I like yours to."

"I don't have an accent."

"You're American. I'm British. To you, I have an accent, and to me, you have an accent."

"Oh," giving it a second to kick in, Seth's eyes widened, "Oh wow! So I have an accent?"

Suddenly, the music was playing. Allowing Seth to guide her over to the benches, she sat next to him. Emmet waved them over to sit with them on the groom's side, but with an elbow to the ribs from his wife, he shrugged his shoulders. Laughing at the rolling of her eyes from Hermione, Wynter sat between Seth, and a blank seat in the front row. She felt awkward sitting there, but Charlie was the one who told her to sit in the families section before they left the house in the morning. The blank seat, right next to Bella's mom belonged to Charlie. Turning to watch as Charlie led his daughter down the aisle; she looked back at Edward, and grinned. She could see it on his face that he was in love with the girl who never showed any emotions. Dressed in a floor length white wedding gown, with her back and chest covered in lace, Bella did look beautiful. Looking through the audience, Bella's eyes landed on Wynter, and she did an excited little grin, with a tiny wave. Blushing, Wynter waved back.

Edward held Bella's hands in his while Charlie took his seat next to Wynter. Sitting down, he whispered how she looked very lovely before whispering something about not looking like a mess to his ex-wife, while giving a Phil a remorseful stare. Vows were read, promises made, and then there was a kiss. Looking around, Wynter saw tears in every human's eyes. The vampires were clutching their hands to their non-beating chests, and Hermione was loudly sobbing something about her baby cousin getting married. Soon the seats were emptied, and music began to play.

"Congratulations, you two!"

Accepting the hug from her new friend, Bella was smiling. No longer just a twitch of her lips, but now it was a full blown smile. "Thanks Wynter. And look at you. And Hermione! Trying to steal the bride's thunder I see."

"Oh we could never steal your thunder," Hermione's caramel eyes were still filled with tears. She turned away from Edward, wrapping her arms around her cousin once more. "I can't believe you're married, Bella."

Rolling her eyes, Wynter stood on her toes to hug Edward. "Congratulations Edward. You're a married man now."

"I know," he winked, then held his hand out to his new bride, "May I have this dance, Mrs. Cullen?"

Feeling her cheeks heat up, Bella accepted his hand. "Mrs. Cullen. I love that."

"Wynter," Seth ran up to them, "Do you umm…" scratching his head, it seemed like he suddenly lost his courage. "Do you wanna dance with me?"

"I would love to Seth."

Blushing, Seth took the offered hand, then leaned in towards Bella, "Congratulations by the way Bella," kissing her cheek, he then nodded his head at Edward, "Edward."

"Thank you Seth," they both kindly smiled.

"Wynter!" Hermione squeaked.

Turning around, Wynter chuckled. They spoke about this the night before, right before they fell asleep. "You're not left alone, Hermione. Cedric is holding his hand out to dance with you. I'm going to dance with Seth."

"Who's Seth?"

Clearing his throat, the younger boy lifted his hand up, "I'm Seth."

Rolling her eyes as Hermione's glare caused Seth to cower behind her, Wynter introduced them, "Hermione this is Seth Clearwater, the one from Jacob's pack. Seth, this is Hermione Granger, Bella's cousin. And Cedric Diggory, he's-"

"Edward's twin?" only now he noticed they looked completely alike.

Chuckling, she pulled Seth away, "No, he's a long lost great-great-grandnephew. He got bit three years ago."

Leaning in against Cedric as they danced together, Hermione couldn't help but to laugh as she thought back to the Yule Ball. They danced as if they were at the Yule Ball, and Cedric laughed as well. It was the last time either of them had to dance in this way to such music. Only that time, Cedric was holding onto Cho Chang, and Hermione was being held by Viktor Krum. Occasionally, Hermione would look up and see Alice watching the house, and Wynter laughing at something with Seth.

"My, my, my… little Hermione Granger is all grown up now."

Turning away from Cedric, Hermione grinned. "Hullo Billy."

"Hello darling," he smiled as she pulled away from their hug. "I wanted to leave already, but it seems your friend has my ride in her grasp."

Turning to the young wolf who was now spinning a still laughing Wynter around, Hermione nodded her head. "Seems like it, but it's all for the best. The night is still young Billy, you can't be tired yet."

"Oh my, dear," Billy shook his head with a sigh, "This old man is not what he used to be."

"Well I'm sure my dancing partner wouldn't mind sharing me for the night," turning to an amused Cedric, Hermione smiled, "Would you mind if I danced with an old friend, Cedric?"

Hermione's hand was still in his, and with a smile on his face, Cedric held it out to Billy, "Your partner, sir."

Accepting Hermione's hand from Cedric, Billy chuckled. "And who is this Edward Cullen look alike, Hermione? I'm sure Charlie wouldn't approve."

"He doesn't," Hermione laughed. "Billy, this is a friend of mine from school. Cedric Diggory, he was bitten three years ago, and only three days ago we learned that he's the great-great-grandnephew of Edward. Cedric, this is Billy Black."

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Black."

"Oh please, it's Billy," stunned that Cedric held out his hand to shake his, Billy nonetheless accepted it. "It's nice to meet you as well, Cedric. I hope that you don't mind I'm stealing your date for the evening."

"Of course not," shaking his head, Cedric saw a scene that caused him to groan. "Oh this isn't good."

"What is it?"

Hearing Hermione groan as well, Billy turned around to see what they were both groaning about. "I don't get it," he continued to search around. "What's going on?"

"Wynter's going to kill Alice," a whimpering sound escaped Hermione. "Please tell me this isn't the surprise she foresaw."

Rubbing his forehead with his hands, Cedric continued to watch the scene. "The colors seem to make sense now."

Leaning against Seth, who although three years younger, was nearly a foot taller than her, Wynter laughed as he continued to tell her stories about his friends. In a way they all reminded her of her own assortment of friends – minus the gloom, and the death threats of course. Shocked to see that he was actually a good dancer, she heard him say something about Hermione about to dance with Billy. Curious as to how a man in a wheelchair could dance, she looked over at her friends, expecting to see them all dancing, but instead she saw an excited Alice clapping while standing nearby a nervous looking Cedric, and a panicking Hermione. Confused as to why they were both nearly shaking, she stopped dancing, ready to walk over to them. A hand touched her shoulder. Seth stopped moving completely, and she froze.

"May I have this dance?"

_Edward!_ Turning away from his bride, Edward turned to the girl who was now glaring at him; _you tell Alice I'm going to bloody kill her. Bloody kill her!_ Continuing to stare up at Seth, her voice was low, "Malfoy."

"You look amazing, Wynter."

Sighing, she slowly nodded her head at Seth to leave them alone, silently pleading with him to take her with him. She watched until Seth was soon dancing with Renee before she finally turned around. She wanted to gasp, but there was no sense in allowing him to see how much his presence affected her. Messy pale blonde hair fell all over his face and nearly to his shoulders, soft silver eyes the color of her gown were staring down at her, with an unknown gleam in them; he was handsome, breathtaking even. Dressed in black muggle suit pants, with one of his endless white oxford shirts, Wynter saw that Draco's tie matched her dress. Slanting her eyes, she released a growl. She would definitely kill Alice for doing this to her. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"I'm asking you to dance," holding out his hand, he saw she was hesitant to take it. "We all got a letter the day after you left. Alice, the vampire who sees things, invited us here. She sent me this tie as well, saying to use it."

"Us?"

"Potter and Weasley are here as well," he nodded his head. "They didn't want to be seen with me though when you realize my tie matches your dress, which by the way," he didn't hide the fact that he was now blatantly staring at her body, "Did I mention looks absolutely beautiful on you?"

"I'm going to kill Alice," making sure that all the vampires could hear her threat; Wynter finally took Draco's hand. Anyone who was watching them could see the relieved grin on his face once he wrapped her hand in his, and placed his hand on her thigh. "Watch the hand, Malfoy. I like to think that Emmet and I are pretty close now. One slip of the hand, and I'll have him kill you."

"Emmet?" following the smirking direction that Wynter was now staring in, Draco gulped at his sight. The bulky vampire was waving at him, and nodding his head to prove Wynter's words were true. "Got it."

Wynter allowed them an entire song of silence before finally looking up at him. "Why did you come?"

"I told you, Alice wrote us a letter telling us to come."

"I know you said that. But why did _you_ come? Why are you _here_? Why are you _dancing with me_?"

There was a moment's hesitation and his strong thinking, Draco accidentally stepped on Wynter's foot then he sighed. "Let's just dance, Morris. We're at a wedding."

Seth and Billy were standing at the edge of the wedding watching everybody while Hermione stood surrounded by her wizard friends, and Cedric. Alice was missing with Rosalie and Esme, but Emmet and Jasper was soon joining them. Edward and Bella were too lost in their own dancing world to pay attention to anything that was going on around them. The vampires were all translating the conversation between Draco and Wynter for the three who couldn't hear anything.

"Dude totally chickened out," Emmet shook his head.

"I don't blame him," Jasper also shook his head, "If he admitted what he wanted to, Wynter would've pulled out her wand, and hexed him right there."

"Damn Malfoy," Ron pulled the plate of food away from his mouth for a second to speak, "Always ruining the fun for me. He deserves whatever Wynter sends his way."

Licking his lips, Emmet looked over at Hermione who was staring intently at the forest, "I don't know about that. What about you Hermione? Do you think he should stay away from Wynter?"

"I think they both need to stay away from each other," Hermione nodded her head, "But not just because I don't like Malfoy, but because-"

"Malfoy?" Emmet started laughing. Slapping Jasper on his chest, he pointed over at Draco, "Eh, bro, that's Malfoy, the one that Hermione and Cedric are always dissing, the one that Wynter always gets defensive over."

Watching the young people dancing, it dawned on Jasper. His brother was right. "Just because you two don't-"

"Hermione."

Turning around, she smiled, "Hey Uncle Charlie. These are my friends Ron and Harry. Alice surprised us with them."

"Hello," Charlie shook both their hands, "Who's that guy that Wynter's dancing with?"

Clearing his throat, Harry smirked at the over-protective fatherly tone in the man's voice, "That's Draco Malfoy, sir," he answered, "Another one of their surprises. Alice flew us in just today."

"Oh," scratching his hair, Charlie continued to watch the scene for a short while. "Very well then. Oh, and Hermione. Did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?"

Blushing, Hermione pulled her uncle into a hug and kissed his cheek, "Thank you Uncle Charlie."

Edward stopped dancing suddenly. Alice came running out of the house with Rosalie close in tow. Looking confused, Bella turned and saw all the vampires quickly leaving the house. Carlisle and Esme were bringing all of the human guests into their home, while Billy asked Charlie to drive him home, saying that he was tired and that he couldn't find Seth anywhere. Sensing something was off, Bella left her husband's side, running over to her cousin. Wynter froze under Draco's touch. Once they noticed everyone leaving and the Cullens all forming a protective stance, he pulled her in closer against him; the way a boyfriend would protect a girlfriend if she were in danger.

"What's going on?" Wynter asked, pulling away from Draco, and running to everyone else.

In a flash, Edward had his hand on Bella's back. "Jacob is nearby. He has murder on his mind."

"Alice?" Bella turned to her.

Shaking her head, they could all see the guilty look she had. "I can't see the wolves. I'm sorry; I didn't know this would happen tonight."

"You mean you knew that Jacob would attack eventually though?" Wynter asked, glancing towards the forest.

"No, not Jacob," continuing to shake her head, Alice stood in front of Wynter, "Everything is off. I didn't see any of this. Tonight was supposed to just be the wedding. Draco was supposed to be here, and I saw you two dancing, but that was it. I didn't see any of this right now. I still can't see. I can't see past tonight."

"What…" turning towards the forest, Wynter's eyes grew wide at the sight in front of her. "Whoa."

With his wand already in his hand, Draco pulled Wynter behind him. "Potter, Weasley, get Granger, Morris, and Bella out of here. Apparate them to the farthest location you can right now."

"Oh bloody hell," ignoring the fact that everyone could see them, Hermione and Wynter both lifted their dresses up, flashing their knickers, and pulling out their wands. "We fought in a bloody war, Malfoy," they both rolled their eyes.

"Wait-" Edward shouted when he saw five wands pointed at the large wolf in front of them. "There's a reason the other wolves stayed away."

Hermione was stuck in her spot. One second she was staring at a wolf the color of her gown, that was as large as a jeep, and the next second, he's running away back into the forest. In another second though, the most beautiful boy she had ever seen was walking out from the very same forest. There were people behind him, but her eyes were only stuck on him. Dropping her wand hand, she started walking towards him. She felt hands touch her, but they were instantly removed. Dark tanned skin with shaggy raven colored hair. Eyes as brown as hers, and a tribal tattoo on his shoulder. He was wearing cut blue jeans, allowing her to see a deep v-line. All sorts of images ran through her mind when she saw the eight-pack his body had. The blurred images behind him stopped moving, and her hands touched him. His hands were warm on her face, and her body shuddered against him. Slowly rubbing his chest with her dainty hands, their smiles met.

"Jacob!"

She froze. She took a step back. Jacob! Her cousin called him Jacob. She took another step back. There was pain in his eyes as she stepped away from him. "Jacob Black?"

"Let them go," Edward grabbed onto Bella's hand, and shook his head. When his wife tilted her head at him, he chuckled, "He's imprinted, Bella. He's imprinted on Hermione."

"No way!"

"Hermione and the dog boy?"

"Poor Hermione!"

"Wicked!"

"You mean she's his soul mate?"

"Poor bloke doesn't realize what he just got stuck with."

"You-you're Jacob Black?" Hermione choked out, oblivious to her friend's reactions from behind her.

Nodding his head, Jacob looked down at the woman that made his whole life complete. "You look so familiar. Why do I know you?"

"I'm, I'm-"

But then it dawned on him, and he already knew. Her British accent. Wildly untamed curls. Maid of honor at Bella's wedding, "Hermione Granger," his teeth were showing as he grinned now. "I should've known. You grew up. Hermione."

"You did too, Jacob."

Pulling her back into his arms, Jacob no longer wanted to kill Edward. He could care less if Bella became a cold one or not. He found his mate. He was happy now, "May I have this dance?"

"I thought you didn't know the dog was going to show?" Rosalie turned to Alice.

"I didn't."

"Then why did you see Hermione in a dress the same color of Jacob's fur?" Jasper asked his wife. "The same way you made Wynter's gown the same color of Draco's eyes? And the way you sent him a tie that matches her gown? Hermione's gown is the color of Jacob's fur when he's in wolf mode."

Continuing to watch the scene in front of them, Alice shook her head, and frowned. "I didn't know anything about Jacob imprinting on Hermione. You guys know I can't see anything to do with the wolves. I saw Wynter dancing with Draco. That was the surprise that Rosalie and I wouldn't tell anyone; the one that I made Bella swear not to spoil. I knew that if Wynter knew about the vision, she would've prevented it. And I saw Hermione wearing that gown and the earrings. I didn't see anything else."

"You said that you saw a vision of the wolves attacking later," Wynter spoke up. Keeping a watchful gaze on the people on the opposite side of the yard, she stepped closer to Alice. "When do they attack, Alice?"

"I don't know," she shook her head again. "I can't see past tonight. Everything is blocked out from me. I know when I first saw the wedding, I saw nearly a month after, and for the first time, I saw a wolf. But that was it, just a wolf, walking towards me. But now… now everything is black. After tonight, nothing exists."

**So what do you guys think? Why do you think nothing exists after this night? What about the Hermione/Jacob imprinting scene? Was it good, plain, to blah? And hmm… Draco(: the next chapter someone else comes into it(: thanks for all of you who've reviewed, favorited and alerted this story! I love you all so much (:**


	5. Who Needs A Honeymoon

**My sister is still really sick, and she asked me to upload this chapter for you guys. She told me the name of the chapter, and the name of the story to upload it to. I didn't read over it to make sure that it doesn't have any mistakes in it, but she promised to check it once she feels better. She also said something about thanking you guys for favoriting, alerting, and reviewing this story. And she asked for more reviews! She said, please. And thank you guys. And she loves you guys.**

Who Needs a Honeymoon?

"Hermione," running up to Hermione and Jacob, who were slowly dancing to a song that only they could hear, Bella pulled her cousin away. "Jacob, tell your pack that we'll meet them soon. Something is going to happen; something that endangers all of us. We'll need as much wolf help as we can get. Hermione, c'mon we've got to change."

"There's no time to change," Alice ran up to them. Gripping tightly onto Hermione's hand, she looked up at Jacob. "Jacob we need to go now. We're getting her out of here; you can be with Hermione later."

"Seth!" running past Jacob, Wynter ran to the only wolf she knew, "Seth, something's going on. Uncle Charlie's taking Billy home. Run to them, find a way to convince Uncle Charlie to stay there for the rest of the night."

Nodding his head, Seth turned to the leader of the pack, "Sam, this is Wynter; Bella's cousin's friend, the witch that I told you about earlier."

"What's going on?" Sam asked, watching as the vampires ran past them one by one. Bella was gripped tightly in Edwards's arms, while Cedric held onto Hermione. Alice had Ron, and Rosalie had Harry.

Jacob approached them, "Where did Seth go?"

"To convince Uncle Charlie to stay with your dad," Wynter told him. Ignoring Draco who was trying to grab her hand, she turned back to Sam, "I don't know. Alice had a vision about a wolf approaching her, about a week ago. It was-"

"The first visions she's ever had about a wolf," Sam nodded his head, "She doesn't see our kind in our visions."

"She had a vision about tonight," they all noted the blush in Wynter's cheeks, causing Draco to smirk. The blush was because of him, "But when Jacob ran up and imprinted on Hermione, everything went blank. Now Alice doesn't see a future. We don't know what's going on, but it has something to do with wolves. And it's enough to freak her out."

"They went to the field," Emmet said, approaching them. "Carlisle is staying back for now. Draco, Esme will carry you to the field. C'mon Wynter, I'm taking you."

Shaking her head, she pulled away from Emmet when he went to grab her. "I need to send out an owl. If something this serious is going on. I need to get a letter to Sirius and Remus."

"We'll owl them once we figure out what it is," Draco argued.

"Emmet, take Malfoy with you, I'll stay back with Carlisle for now. Jacob you need to get to Hermione. We know about imprinting, and you can't stay away for too long in the beginning of it. If a war is coming up, you'll need to get her out of there quickly. She'll be their first target. Sam, this is your pack, and I can't order them, but right now the only thing to really do is follow Jacob to the field. Try, and find out what's going on."

Grabbing onto Wynter's hand, Draco gripped it tightly, "I'm not leaving you Morris."

"This owl of yours," Sam asked, watching as Jacob ran off once Wynter mentioned Hermione being the first one to get injured, "Where is it?"

"Bella's house."

"And what is this letter of yours supposed to do?" he asked.

"Send out a warning. I have a feeling I know what this is. Malfoy, I know you're thinking it to."

He nodded his head, "They found a new army."

"I'll go with you then," Emmet spread his feet apart, ready to attack anyone who came close to them. "Draco, run up with the pack. Explain it to everyone else. Maybe that will help Alice with her visions."

Within only a second, Carlisle, and Esme were running up to them. Hand in hand. "We'll take Draco with us."

"I'm not leaving Morris."

This annoyed her. Turning her back on the wolf pack, she pointed her wand in Draco's face. "We aren't on the same side, Malfoy. You're one of Voldemort's soldiers. You may have been forced to take the mark, but you wore it with pride or have you forgotten watching as they tortured both Hermione and I, in your manor that day we were captured? Have you forgotten attacking me in school when I refused to become a Death Eater? We saved you because you gave us crucial information at the last minute. We didn't sentence you to Azkaban because of Sirius, and because we looked into your mind, but this doesn't make us friends. Now you're going to go with Carlisle and Esme to the field. And you're going to explain to everyone how we think whatever Alice fears has to do with the new army."

"No," ignoring the growl from Emmet, and the snarls from the wolves, Draco placed his face into Wynter's face, touching toes against toes. "I'm not one of your little lackeys, Morris. I served under the darkest wizard that the wizarding world has ever seen. I suffered through the curses he flew at me, and I accepted my fate as a Death Eater. I killed innocent muggles as he held a wand to my mum's head, and I stood there watching as my own father would beat my mum for trying to protect me. So I don't fear you. I know they marked you as the next dark wizard, and I see how they fear you, but I don't. I've been through it all before. So make your threats, and even see them through, but I don't fear you. I'm being kind to you because I want to. I'm going to protect you because I never had the chance to in school. We had this conversation before you ran away to be at this wedding – if the Dark Lord or my father ever found out how I felt about a muggle-born, especially a muggle-born who turned down being a Death Eater, they would've killed _you _in your sleep. I have my chance now, and I'm bloody going with you."

Wynter wouldn't back down. Her heart was beating excessively, but she wouldn't back down. "We don't have time to argue, Malfoy!" she practically shouted at him. "The longer we stand here, the more chances we have of being attacked. I'm going back to the house, and sending out a warning to the Order. You need to warn the others. You want to prove to us that you really are on our side, then start now. Warn them about what we both think. Help to prepare them. Get them ready for a war."

Draco wanted to argue. He wanted to grab her in his arms, and just hold her. There were so many things he wanted to do, but he knew she was right. He couldn't follow after her; he had to warn the others. This was his time to prove that he was worthy. "It would be quicker if you apparate," he said, taking a step back. "You know where Bella's house is so apparate yourself, and Emmet there. Do you know where the field is?" when she shook her head, he nodded his, "Apparate to the house, but then have Emmet run you down to the field. I'll have them prepared by the time you come back."

"What the hell is apparating?" Sam asked. He stood there, quietly, listening to their argument just as everybody else did. He noticed the smug smirks on the vampires' faces, as if they understood everything being said, but he was only confused.

"We disappear and appear out of thin air," Wynter explained. "Emmet, hold on tight. You might feel a pinch in your gut."

Draco, Esme, and Carlisle were already gone. "Do you need to hold onto them?" Sam asked.

"As long as one person is touching me, but I can't take too much people."

"Take two of my wolves," Sam told her. "Can you hold two wolves and the vampire?" when Wynter nodded her head, he took a step back, "Embry, Quil, go with them. Keep an eye on her, and make sure she doesn't get hurt. They'll run alongside you guys," he was speaking to the young witch again. "The rest of us will meet you at the field."

"Where the hell is Emmet with Wynter?" Rosalie was pacing back, and forth. "It's been two minutes already. Why aren't they here yet?"

"Someone's coming," shouted Harry, pointing at the trees.

Not even having to see a figure, Hermione was already jumping up, "It's Jacob."

"I don't see the rest of the pack."

Ignoring his best friend and her husband, Jacob ran straight for Hermione once he reached them. "Hermione, are you alright? Your friend said something about once they learn I've imprinted on you, they would go straight for you."

There was a gasp. Then, "Bloody hell. Get Hermione out of here."

"I have my wand, Ron," she rolled her eyes then looked up at Jacob. "I'm a witch."

Chuckling, he pressed his lips to her forehead, "That explains a lot. I always knew it was weird that I would end up on the roof while playing house with you."

"Is that what you two always did whenever I couldn't find you?"

"Now's not the time Bella."

"You know," Bella chuckled, leaning in deeper against Edward. "I'm supposed to be on my honeymoon right now."

Finally looking over at Bella, Jacob noted she was still in her wedding dress. Then he looked up at Edward, and the second Edward. "Why the hell are there two of you?"

"Long lost great-great-grandnephew," Harry quickly explained. "That's Cedric Diggory, I'm Harry Potter, this is Ron Weasley. The girl who was most likely bossing you around is Wynter Morris, and the blonde git who was like a leech to her side, that was Draco Malfoy. We're all friends of Hermione's."

Ron shook his head, "Not me. I'm her brother and so's Harry. And we've killed real werewolves, the ones that turn only on the full moon, so we're not scared of your muscles or that you can bark at us, and bite at us. If you hurt Hermione, we're going to-"

"It's Draco," Alice shouted, interrupting Ron's older brother speech.

Seeing the nervous glint in Jacob's eyes, Ron pointed his wand at him, "We'll finish this later."

"Where's Emmet and Wynter?" Rosalie asked once Esme released Draco from her arms.

"And the pack?" Jacob asked.

Pulling away from Jacob, Hermione approached Draco. She saw the nervous sweat dripping from his face. "What? What is it, Malfoy? What's happened?"

"We think they created the new army."

There was silence. Ron and Harry stared at each other while Alice looked grim. Rosalie continued to stare past everyone until she saw the wolves running towards them. "Embry and Quil went with Emmet and Wynter to your house, Bella," Sam explained once back into his human form. "She said something about warning the Order?"

"Then its time," Hermione nodded her head. "We need to get back to London as quickly as possible."

"What?" shaking his head, Jacob folded his arms over his chest. "No, you can't leave."

"We can't stay."

"No," he shook his head again. "I mean _you_ can't leave. I've imprinted with you, Hermione. This is still only the beginning of the imprinting process. If you leave my side for more than twenty four hours, I'll get sick and die. And you'll always just be sick. You literally can't leave. It takes three months before we're able to handle the distance for more than a day."

"Oh."

Reading the mind of all the wolves, Edward shook his head, "We won't let all of you have the fun now," seeing that everyone was waiting for him to say something, he started to explain. "They want to go to London with Hermione. Jacob won't leave her side, and his pack won't abandon him."

"Bring London to us," Jasper spoke up. "We'll team up again, just like we did this summer."

"We can't bring anyone else into our war," Ron spoke up as well. "We just had a war three weeks ago. Too many people were killed, people who shouldn't have been in it in the first place."

"We like war," a malicious grin spread across Sam's face. "War is fun. But for now, explain everything to us while we wait for the rest. Why are there two Edward Cullens, why are there witches and wizards here, why are we getting into a war from London, and why did Draco tell Wynter that he doesn't fear her even if she is the next Dark Lord?"

"Draco!" it was Rosalie who hissed at him.

Conjuring a rock with her wand, Hermione flung it at him, "Draco Malfoy! How dare you tell her such a thing."

"Not smart," groaned Harry.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ron glared at Draco, "I still don't get why she doesn't just kill you yet."

_Sirius,_

_ It's started. At least we think it has. Alice had a vision of a tiny wolf approaching her, the same day she had a vision of the wedding. To her, it symbolized an attack from wolves, because she normally can't see wolves in her visions. This was the first one. Tonight at the wedding, an old friend of Hermione's cousin and Hermione's, came to kill Edward, the groom, but instead imprinted on Hermione. Jacob Black, he's a Quileute Indian, and also a Quileute wolf. Tell Remus that not only are his legends are true, but that one of them imprinted on our Hermione. Once Jacob appeared though, Alice could only see black. She doesn't see a future anymore. Malfoy and I suspect that it has to do with the army. I know it's only been three weeks since the war, but find out as much as you can. Prepare the Order for anything. Do not come here though. Stay where you are, and tell the others the same thing. Do not leave London! We need our soldiers at home, just in case we're wrong. I only want you all to prepare. Be on guard, and watch your backs. We're going to discuss this more, and start planning. We'll keep you in the loop._

_ Wynter_

Turning away from the letter she was writing, Wynter saw the three boys all awkwardly sitting on the bed. There was a noise from outside the window, and her wand was raised before they even had a chance to jump up. Scoffing at the idea of a vampire and two wolves supposed to be protecting her, Wynter slowly approached the window. Peering outside, she was confused. There was nobody there. Feeling Emmet and Embry against her back, she saw they were looking over her shoulders as well. Quil was guarding the bedroom door. She saw the frustration in Emmet's eyes. Somebody was there, he could sense them; he just couldn't see them.

_"Accio cloak,"_ she grunted. The cloak didn't come to her. "Ginny Weasley," she said in a firm voice. "If you do not reveal yourself to me right now, I will owl your mum, and she will be here in a heartbeat."

Embry was confused, while Emmet grinned. Where there was nothing, there now stood a red haired girl who could be no older than seventeen. Eyes identical to Ron's were peering up at them, while a sheepish grin smiled up at them. Waving a freckled hand, she shouted, "I missed Harry. Please don't tell Mum."

"Get inside, Ginny," turning around to face the girl who appeared out of the air, Wynter grabbed the cloak away from her, "Are you mental? What the bloody hell are you doing stealing Harry's cloak like that? The vampire and wolves could sense you Ginny. You know that Voldemort still has some followers out there. They may not have been able to see you, but they could've known you were there."

"But I thought that magic couldn't get to the cloak," Ginny shrugged her shoulders, carelessly sitting on the bed next to Quil. "Death's cloak, remember. Even Death himself can't find you when you're hidden beneath it."

"Something happened to it during the war. A curse can't penetrate it, and spells can't call to it, but vampires and wolves know you're there. All three could sense you, and it doesn't help keep you hidden when you step on branches, which by the way, you've been using the cloak since you were twelve Ginny. Since when the hell do you get caught?"

"I've always had either Harry or Ron under it with me," finally noticing the extra eyes on her, she blushed. "Erm… hullo, I'm Ginny Weasley."

"Ron's little sister," Wynter explained, walking back to her letter. "And Harry's girlfriend. Gin, this is Emmet Cullen, the vampire. And the wolves are Quil and Embry. Quil is the one sitting next to you."

"So where is everyone?" she asked. Also taking in Wynter's outfit, her eyes bulged, "And Malfoy? You're hot right now Wynter. I figured he'd be shagging your brains out."

Ignoring the howling laughter from the three males, Wynter growled. "Ever speak of me and Malfoy shagging ever again, and Ron finds out about that night with too much firewhisky, and a certain Italian," once Ginny whimpered, Wynter continued, "And we're about to meet up with everyone. The war is starting Gin. I really wish you stayed in London. Harry's going to flip when he sees you."

The three males quickly filled Ginny in on everything while Wynter returned to her letter.

_Oh one more thing. Ginny just arrived. Please tell Mrs. Weasley that she's fine. It seems like our little rebel stole Harry's invisibility cloak, and came to Forks. We'll keep a close eye on her, and I know Harry and Ron both won't let her out of their sights. And if we keep her glued to Hermione, the wolves won't let her out of their sights either._

"Ginny can jump onto my back, and I'll carry Wynter in my arms," Emmet explained once they reached outside. "You both have your wands, right?"

Pointing to the wand sticking out from her jeans pocket, Ginny hugged her jacket tightly against her chest, "Yep."

"Never leave home without it," Wynter grinned, holding hers in her hand. She was still dressed for the wedding. "You two start running already," she told the wolves, "We'll catch up in a second."

Seth joined the large group at the open field already, and now they were all just sitting around waiting for the rest to arrive. Sam and the wolves now knew as much as the Cullens did and they couldn't wait to hear the rest of it. Hermione explained how she didn't want to get too much into the war until everyone was there, so they wouldn't have to go over it again. It took ten minutes before Rosalie jumped up.

"They have an extra person with them; a witch."

"Ron's sister," Edward explained. "I can read Emmet and the wolves right now. And her, she's mostly just feeling sick from the running. Something about wishing she brought her broom with her."

"What did you just say?"

Edward turned to Harry, "Ron's sister. She stole your cloak and-"

"Ginerva Molly Weasley!" Ron's shouting silenced Edward. Approaching his sister as she jumped off Emmet's back, he continued his shouting, "What the bloody hell do you think you are doing here? You can't just break into Harry's things, and steal his bloody invisibility cloak. Have you gone mad? And what about Mum? It's bad enough she's already lost Percy in the bloody war, and Charlie's back with the dragons, while Bill's in France with Fleur. I'm in America, and now you bloody sneak off to bloody America to? Now she only has the twins left. Are you happy, Ginny? Mum's probably crying her eyes out right now. And Dad. Are you bloody happy?"

Refusing to cower to Ron, of all her brothers, Ginny folded her arms over her chest, "I missed Harry."

"Harry!" quick to hide behind Alice incase Ron did anything stupid, Harry cowered once he heard his best friend shout his name. "Are you bloody happy mate? My baby sister snuck off to America, breaking Mum's heart, just because she missed you. Bloody hell!"

Stepping forward, Hermione sighed, "It's too late now Ron, Ginny's already here. No sense in shouting about it now. And it isn't Harry's fault. It's not as if he told Ginny to come here."

"Nope," Harry shook his head. "Nope, I didn't. I didn't tell her to come here, Ron."

"Wimp," the vampires all chuckled as they heard the newcomer mutter under her breath. "Well as Hermione said, I'm here now. And Wynter owled Sirius to tell Mum I'm here, and that I'm safe. But she also said something about a war. Now start talking. What do I do?" then her eyes landed on Edward, "Whoa! Two Cedrics? One Cedric was enough to make my head hurt, now there's two of them."

Moving away from his position between Carlisle and Sam, Draco fingered his wand, "No way. The Weaslette isn't going to fight in this war. She was almost killed in the last one."

"From your aunt," Ginny shouted back. "Which by the way, I'm glad my mum killed her."

"I'm glad she killed her too," Draco's eyes were slanted. "But it doesn't matter. Like your big brother weasel said, your parents already lost one of you in the final battle. And your brother Bill is at the point of being half a wolf for the rest of his life. The Weasleys don't need another lost."

"Harry, tell him I can fight."

"Never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Malfoy."

"Exactly, you tell him hon-" Ginny's eyes went cross, and even Wynter took a step back, causing Edward to look at this tiny red haired girl in fear. "You what? He tried to kill you."

"I don't want you fighting. During the final battle, Bellatrix would've killed you if Seamus didn't jump in and bounce off the killing curse. You're too tired darling. Your body is drained. You need to rest."

"I've had three weeks to rest. Now stop talking nonsense, and let's start on the plan. Now fill me in on everything. Who's who? And when do we start training? I've never worked with a wolf other than Lupin, but these are shape-shifter wolves, and not slaves to the moon type wolves. And other than Cedric, I've always known to just kill vampires. This isn't like training the DA anymore. This is different. And now we have Malfoy on our side, we still have a chance. For a ferret, he is strong."

Sam was laughing by now. From the minute he's met them, he's only heard insults and arguments. "Now I really want to know. We all do. Fill us in from the start. Who's Voldemort, why is there a new army, and what happened in the final battle?"


	6. Trapped In Darkness

**Hello my darlings(: I'm baaack. I've been really sick for the past 2 weeks, and I seemed to only be getting worse instead of better, so last week I had my brother post up the chapters to all of my pre-written stories. I couldn't read or even write without getting sick. Thanks for your reviews last week, and to all of you who favorited, and reviewed this story, I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this story so far!**

**I wasn't able to put up the reasoning in last week's chapter, but if you noticed; Percy died in the war instead of Fred. In all of my other stories, I've never killed off any of the main characters in the war, but I felt like this story needed a tragic death. I love Sirius, Remus, Tonk, Snape and Fred too much to actually kill them off. And I'm sorry, but I never liked Percy. Just because he joined up with his family again right before the war, I never liked him since he first turned against them. I understand that he thought it was right, and I don't want any Percy lovers to become offended with this, but I'm sorry… I saved Fred and killed Percy.**

**Warning: This chapter may seem dark to some of you. It explains the history of the war, and tells who Wynter is. It mentions torture, but doesn't get too graphic. It'll also explain why Wynter is so weary about Draco!**

Trapped In Darkness

They were all seated. Hermione leaned against a shirtless Jacob who helped to keep her warm, while Edward wrapped his jacket around a cold Bella. Harry only had to wrap his arms around Ginny, and Wynter made sure to stay far away from Draco. The wolves were on their own side, with Wynter leaning against an innocent Seth. The vampires sat near them, but on their own side as well. Everyone waited for someone to begin. The wolves all noticed how the ones with wands turned to Wynter. They kept hearing that Harry was their leader, but it was obvious by their actions that Wynter was the true leader.

"There was this orphan," Harry gasped when he realized that Wynter was going to start from the very beginning of the story. "His name was Tom Marvolo Riddle," Draco gasped when he realized that Wynter had no fear in her, and was willingly speaking his full name… even with him dead, it still gave Draco chills. "Professor Dumbledore went to him when he was eleven, and brought him to Hogwarts, like he's done with muggle-borns so many times. Only Tom wasn't just a muggle-born, he was a half-blood raised in a muggle orphanage, never hearing of magic before. Tom was a sick and twisted little boy. He liked to hurt the kids in his orphanage, and held no remorse for his actions. Dumbledore thought he could save him, but instead Tom just mastered the art of deceiving. Playing the innocent-little-orphan-boy role, he had everyone in the palms of his hands, especially this one potions professor, Professor Slughorn. With crystallized pineapples, and a coy smile, he tricked Slughorn into telling him about a Horcrux."

"This Tom Riddle guy?" Esme asked, leaning against her husband, "Was he in Slytherin as well? I remember Hermione saying that all the sly and cunning witches and wizards went into Slytherin."

They all nodded their heads, and Edward raised a curious eyebrow at Draco. For a wizard, he didn't bother to hide his thoughts. "Yes, he was."

"What's a Horcrux?" Jacob asked, impatient, and wanting to fight already. The longer they sat around talking, the longer Hermione was in danger.

"It's when you split your soul in half," when everyone gasped, Hermione continued. "Well Tom found a way to split his soul into seven pieces."

"He did what?"

"Oh that's horrible," Alice flew her hands to her mouth. She knew they would soon learn all about Voldemort, but she didn't imagine just how dark he was exactly. "Why would anyone want to do that?"

"Immortality," Ginny shrugged her shoulders, "Power, fortune, minions."

"Then he heard of a prophecy," Wynter continued on, "That a child born on July 31, 1993, would be the one to kill him. See, one can't live while the other survives."

"My godfather," Draco interrupted now. "Professor Snape, or well… Severus as I call him, was in love with Lily Evans growing up; a muggle-born witch who lived in the same muggle town as him. See, Severus was a half-blood. It was rumored that Lily's son was the boy from the prophecy. But Lily was no longer Lily Evan's, she was now-"

"Lily Potter," there were more gasps when Harry interrupted Draco. "Snape and my mum were best of friends at Hogwarts, but Snape was in Slytherin, and my mum was in Gryffindor, where she met my dad, James Potter. Dad and Snape hated each other, but when Tom heard the prophecy, he told all of the Death Eaters to kill me. Snape pleaded with him to save Mum, but he also ran to Dumbledore and the Order to protect us. He knew that Mum wouldn't forgive him for sparing only her, while her one year old son was murdered along with her pureblooded husband. It was Halloween when Tom attacked. He killed Dad while Mum ran upstairs with me. He told Mum to leave. He wouldn't touch her, because he was rather fond of Snape, but Mum sacrificed herself. When Mum jumped in front of me, and blocked the killing curse from killing me, he cursed himself. I became his seventh Horcrux, and he disappeared. I got this scar," moving his hair off of his forehead to show the lightning bolt, he pointed at it, "As a piece of him. I was the boy-who-lived."

"Dumbledore sent Harry to live with his mum's sister and husband, but they were horrible muggles. Their pig-like son would beat up Harry, and Harry was a slave to them. Cooking, and cleaning, living in a cupboard under the stairs."

"You lived in a cupboard?" Draco turned to Harry. "I didn't know that."

"We aren't exactly friends, Malfoy," Harry reminded him. "Don't forget that as this story progresses, you're one of the Death Eaters."

Scowling at the boy he regretted feeling pity for, Draco muttered, "I'll tell my side as well."

"Anyways," Wynter spoke up. The vampires and wolves all heard the authority in her voice as she spoke. The witches and wizards, including Cedric, were all quick to silence themselves. "When we were eleven, we all went to Hogwarts. It was there that Harry met the Weasleys at Kingscross – the train station that takes us to Hogwarts – and they became best of mates. Both being sorted into Gryffindor, they rather hated Hermione, who was also in Gryffindor."

"What?" Sam was confused now. "But you three are best of friends from what I see, and what I've been hearing all night from your other stories."

"Now," Hermione nodded her head. "I like to be right, and everything has to be precise. Harry and Ron could care less about their schooling. They were mean to me. It wasn't until Halloween that they saved me from the troll in the girls' bathroom that we became best of friends. Harry believed that Snape was trying to kill him, and from the signs, Ron and I believed it as well. We started to-"

"Wait-" Embry spoke up now, "Where was Wynter in all of this?"

"They didn't meet me until fifth year."

"But I thought you said you were in Gryffindor to? Weren't you the same year as them?"

"I was," she nodded her head, "But I stayed away from everyone. I knew who they were. I mean everyone knew the golden trio, but they didn't know me."

"I did," Draco raised his hand. "I knew who you were Morris; the quiet girl in the corner. Not fitting in with the rest of her Gryffindor crowd, but too brave to be thrown into Hufflepuff. It was then when we started to watch you in all the classes-"

"Gryffindor and Slytherin shares classes," Ginny explained when she saw everyone's confusion. "Draco was in Slytherin."

"-getting higher marks than Granger, but still remaining in the back of the class, trying your hardest not to be noticed."

"Is that when you ran to your master and told him to recruit her?" hissed Ron.

"Ron," Wynter hissed back, "We'll get to that part soon enough. For now though, let's fill them in on everything else. They need to know about your guys' adventures, and how you always saved the year. And we need to fill them in on how much of a git Malfoy is."

"Wait 'til you hear about when our professor turned him into a ferret," laughed Hermione.

They continued like that, each taking turns and explaining the first four years of their school to them. The vampires and wolves were sickened when they heard about Voldemort possessing the eleven year old Ginny in her first year, and they laughed when Hermione slapped Draco, and they laughed even harder when he was turned into a ferret. They glared at Draco for almost getting Buckbeak killed, but cheered when Harry and Hermione saved him along with Sirius, and he became Witherwings. It was when they reached the Tri-Wizard Tournament, that everyone realized how serious this all was. Tom Riddle, who they learned was in fact Voldemort, was actually trying his hardest to kill Harry. Harry told them about what happened in the cemetery when Voldemort was brought back to life, and Edward pitied Draco. His thoughts were loud and clear, and it was visible enough on his face that he was going to be sick as he listened to the heroes' side of the story. Cedric replayed his part once again of how he became a vampire, and of how he woke up. Then it reached fifth year, and they noticed the dark blue take control of Wynter's eyes. This was the part when she entered the picture.

"Everyone hated me," Harry explained to them. "They were all claiming that I killed Cedric because I feared if he won the tournament, I would no longer be the golden boy. Even my own house went against me. It was that moment that formed our friendship even stronger. Ron and Hermione were the only two who stood by me through it all."

"Hey!"

"And Ginny," Harry chuckled, pulling his girlfriend in closer towards him, and kissing her on her cheek. "It was Hermione who decided to create an army of our own. The new Defense Against Dark Art's professor, Umbridge," all the Gryffindors scoffed at her name, including Draco, "Didn't teach us anything, saying that there was nothing we needed to defend ourselves against. So our friend Neville found this room on accident, the Room of Requirements, and it expands to our needs. We started teaching the students how to fight back. Voldemort was back, and even if they didn't believe me, they wanted to learn how to defend themselves."

"That was when Malfoy cornered me," Wynter sighed. "Apparently I caught the attention of Voldemort, and Malfoy was almost proud. I was a muggle-born, with not one ounce of magical blood in me, and Voldemort wanted to take me right under his own wing. Malfoy began to brag that I would sit next to him at the table, something about how although I'm in Gryffindor, I would be with the Slytherins. He noticed me, and knew I didn't belong with the rest of my house, and that I fit in perfectly with him. I turned him down."

"Malfoy beat her, and cursed her, and left her for dead because she turned him away," Ron was glowering at Draco again, who didn't bother to defend himself. Only Edward knew the truth of that day. He could read it loudly in the blonde's mind. "Being in Gryffindor, you share a room with the gender of your years. Wynter remembered hearing Hermione telling their roommates about the training every night, and she ran to us for help. It was then, when we finally really met her."

"It was then when we realized why Voldemort wanted her."

"Why did Voldemort want you?" Carlisle asked. He could feel the power from this girl, but he still didn't understand any of it. She stayed hidden for all those years. Why would the world's darkest wizard suddenly want a shy fifteen year old girl?

"My mum's name is Tabitha Gina Riddle," everyone gasped. "Although both my parents were muggles, and I was a muggle-born, Voldemort's father, Tom Riddle was my mum's older brother. Voldemort is my-"

"Uncle," Bella was holding both her hands to her mouth. She stared at the kind girl in shock. This girl was closer in blood to Voldemort than she was to Hermione. "He wanted you because he knew you were related to him through his muggle side. Although a muggle-born, you were as strong as him."

Draco shook his head now. They saw that everyone else was shaking their heads to. "Not as strong as him. Morris is _stronger_ than him. Everyone who was involved knew that whatever side of the war Morris stood on was the side that would win."

"I didn't know that Voldemort was originally a Riddle until Harry told me," Wynter explained. "It wasn't as if the media went around telling everyone the truth of him, so nobody knew he was a half-blood. The way he ran around, killing off anyone whose blood wasn't pure; we wouldn't have believed it anyway. I always knew that I was powerful, but I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until Malfoy beat me, and told me that Voldemort had a secret, that I ran to Harry for help. I told him what happened, and I started to train with them. Once they saw me block a hex that Ginny was flying at me, they knew then that I was important in this war. Harry told me Voldemort's real name a couple of months later, and I realized everything. Voldemort knew I was his niece, and that was why he wanted me on his side. The two of us together would have been unstoppable."

Edward saw the way Hermione flinched when Wynter reached over to grab her wand. He noticed that Harry flinched as well. Ron and Draco were the only two who didn't flinch. Even Ginny and Cedric flinched. "That's why everyone fears she's the next Dark Lord. She shares blood with Voldemort. Even if she helped to save everyone, and even though she fought on the good side in the war, they watch her as if she's the next killer?" there was a venomous tone in Edward's tone when he questioned it.

Emmet heard the tone in his brothers voice, and Jasper felt his rage rising. Trying to calm his brother down with his powers, Jasper shook his head at Emmet. Neither of them knew what was happening to Edward. "They thought the same thing of Harry too," Wynter nodded her head. "The boy who managed to kill Voldemort; for a while they thought he would let it get to his head, and turn evil."

"Yeah but they don't flinch every time Harry grabs his wand," scoffed Ron, glaring at his sister, and his friends.

Sighing, Wynter smiled across at her ginger friend. Ron was the one person who never really feared her. He never really treated her like the next Dark Lord. He hated Draco for how Draco treated her in the past, but that was all. Ron was there for her, protecting her from their friends. "It's alright Ron. We're not talking about that right now. Let's finish telling the story, I'm getting cold. And we still have to finish off fifth year, then go into sixth year when Malfoy tried to kill Dumbledore, then go into the hunt for the Horcruxes, and the final battle."

They talked about how the DA continued to train, and how Draco soon started to pick on Wynter more than he had ever picked on Hermione in the four years before. They talked about the battle at the Ministry, and how Draco's father was one of the Death Eaters that had been arrested. Then sixth year came up, and Wynter turned to Draco. She nodded her head for him to speak his part.

"My father would beat my mother and I," Draco started. "If she would try to protect me, he would paralyze me, forcing me to watch as he would beat and rape her," there were snarls mixed in with growls, and gasps with choked tears that would never be shed. "I realized that I didn't want to be like him. If this was what being a Death Eater does to you, then I didn't want to be one of them. The Dark Lord was a good mind reader, and I never really learned how to block anyone out," Edward nodded his head as everyone looked at him. That was why he could read Draco like an open book; it made sense to him now. "He saw my hesitation, and held the wand to my mother's head. He was torturing her for hours, before I finally gave in. I accepted the dark mark," lifting his sleeve, he showed them the snake tattoo, "I became a Death Eater."

"I suspected that Malfoy was a Death Eater, and Wynter was the only one who believed me. Ron and Hermione both thought I had just become obsessed with blaming Malfoy for everything. Slughorn came back to Hogwarts that year, and it was then when Dumbledore started to teach me more about the life of Tom Riddle. Dumbledore was taking me on trips in his memory, and I was on a mission to learn what it was that Slughorn told Tom about while he was at Hogwarts. Dumbledore suspected it was about the Horcruxes, but he needed to be sure before he told me about it."

"Wynter became just as obsessed with Malfoy as Harry was," Hermione told them, cuddling in closer against Jacob. "She noticed that he was becoming paler than he usually was. He was failing all his classes, plus he and Snape were constantly always arguing. Of course, Harry didn't believe that Snape was really on our side even if he was in the Order, but Wynter suspected something else. She always heard Snape telling Malfoy to just leave it, and join him."

"Severus was telling me-" Draco cut off. He saw Wynter shivering. Even leaning too closely against a wolf, she was cold. Sighing, he shrugged out of his suit's jacket. "Morris, put this on."

"I'd rather die from the cold," she hissed.

"You're going to if you don't put this jacket on right now," he hissed back, throwing his jacket at her. "In case you forgot, we need you alive to win this upcoming war. So stop being such a bint, and put it on. Now!"

There was demand in his voice; a control that she had never heard him take before. Muttering something about cooked ferret beneath her breath, she put his jacket on. After a long pause, she stared at him, "Well… go on now. Continue. We haven't got all night. It's already two in the morning."

"Right," quickly shaking his head, he looked away from Wynter. There were too many images of her wearing just his clothes for the rest of their lives running through his mind. "Sorry. So as I was saying, Severus was telling me to leave the Death Eaters. He made an unbreakable vow to my mother to help me in case I couldn't complete my task from the Dark Lord, and he knew I was too weak. He knew I would never be able to do it. He told me that he was in the Order, and he was trying to convince me to join them. He promised they would be able to protect me."

"But then he attacked me," Harry nodded his head. "Snape came to us, telling us that he was trying to bring Malfoy to us. I went to the bathroom to confront him on it. The ferret thought I was there to kill him, and he attacked me."

"Which then resulted in Harry nearly killing him."

"Luckily for me, the unforgivable he used was one that Severus made up on his own. Severus knew the counter curse of course, and saved me."

"Yeah," Ron scoffed under his breath. "How lucky."

Smirking at Ron, Draco ran both his hands through his hair. Only Seth could feel the reaction that, that simple movement caused in Wynter's body. "Weasley's just pissed that I still managed to win that Quidditch match two days after."

"Don't," Wynter shook her head, "This isn't about Quidditch right now."

"What was the task?" Jasper asked. "The task that Voldemort wanted you to do for him, what was it?"

"Kill Dumbledore."

Edward felt the block. Looking over at Wynter, he felt that she was also blocking Draco's mind from him. She nodded her head at Draco, and Draco did the same to her. Edward saw a frightened look come over Draco's face. _Harry them don't even know the second task,_ Wynter's voice entered his mind once more. _Malfoy was sent to kill me. Voldemort knew I would kill him in the process, and he wanted Malfoy dead anyways. He figured I could do it for him. Malfoy came for me that night, ready to kill me. It was the same night that Snape ended up killing Dumbledore for Malfoy. We're going to explain it right now. Harry them will most likely go to attack Malfoy, but I don't want you seeing anything,_ Edward nodded his head. Then she answered his unasked question, _yes, we're going to sugarcoat it. You only need to know enough to learn who we are. Nothing more. This isn't something that will help to win this upcoming battle._

"What?" it was Quil who saw the somber look on both Draco and Wynter; "What else is there?"

"I was gone with Dumbledore-" Wynter heard Harry begin to explain his hunt for the locket with Dumbledore, but she watched Draco instead. He was sweating again, and fiddling his thumbs. He was holding onto something, a secret that even she couldn't read, but it drew her in more towards him. There was something about Draco Malfoy, something that she couldn't understand. Something she wanted to learn. "-then he killed him."

"I had a second task," Draco sighed, it wasn't until Wynter gave him another nod of her head that he continued. "Now before I explain it, you have to understand. My mother was the only one who ever showed any type of compassion for me. He knew that I loved my mother, and she was the only leverage he had on me. If he threatened to kill me, I wouldn't care, but he would threaten her, and I would give in. He held that hold on me."

"Second task?" Harry asked. "But we entered your mind, Malfoy. We saw everything you saw," then he gasped. Rubbing his forehead, Harry shook his head, "Wynter, please tell me that you didn't help him hide something from us."

"It wasn't important," she shrugged her shoulders. "It still isn't. I'm just allowing him to tell you about it now, so the Cullens, and the pack know what they're signing up for. We're telling them everything that they need to know."

"What is it?"

"Allowing him to?"

"What did you do, Malfoy?"

"Bad Wynter. You never protect a Malfoy."

"Would this have been what we needed to send him to Azkaban?"

"I was sent to kill Morris. The Dark Lord knew I would back out from killing Dumbledore, and he knew that my mother went to Severus for help. He hated our family already, and wanted to hurt us in every possible way. Potter was gone with Dumbledore on their task, and I found Morris on her own."

Directing his wand at Draco, Ron shouted, _"Levico-"_

_ "Expelliarmus!"_ the vampires and wolves all turned to stare at Wynter with dropped jaws. Ron's wand flew out of his hands, and she didn't even lift her wand. "Wandless magic," she explained to them before glaring at Ron, "Obviously he didn't kill me Ron! Let him explain that night. This was right before the Astronomy tower."

"I was on my way to the tower actually," Draco continued. They couldn't read his face. No passion, no lust, no remorse, no guilt, no shame, no anger, no fear; nothing. He was blank. "I was on my way to kill Dumbledore. And I saw her standing there. It was as if she had been waiting for me."

"I'm good at entering minds," Wynter nodded her head, "I knew about his second task, and decided to help him out with it. Instead of having him search for me, I went to him. He shot a curse at me, but I dodged it. I flew my own curses at him. We fought that night. Then we heard the Death Eaters enter the castle. I turned to stun him, but he was already gone; cloaked like them, and flying towards the tower. I ran to get our army. A war was breaking out, and we needed the help."

Harry thought back to that night – the fear in Draco's face, and the tears in his eyes; he saw it. "You were bleeding," he realized. "I saw the blood on you, but didn't pay any attention to it. I-I saw it. You were just in a duel, and I ignored it. You were in pain that night."

"She hit me with a slicing hex," Draco nodded his head.

Ron's eyes were slanted again. Darkness took over his face. "Yeah, well you got your revenge for that didn't you, Malfoy!"

Sam and Carlisle both nodded their heads at each other. These kids have been through more than any of them had ever imagined even possible. They knew that Wynter was hiding more from them. Whatever it was she was hiding though, her friends didn't know it either. Draco was the only other person who knew, it seemed. Whatever she was hiding, it was to protect Draco. Something else happened that night, something that would get Draco killed right on the spot. Something that Wynter wanted to shelter everyone else from. They would fight together. They would come together, and protect all these young witches and wizards so they could live a normal life after this. It's been only three weeks since the war happened, and as they listened to Wynter explain the hunt for the Horcruxes, and Ginny explain about the takeover of Hogwarts, they both silently cried for all these teens. No one should know this much pain.

"-by the time Cedric got to me, I was already blacking out. The _Cruciatus Curse_ makes you feel as if your insides are on fire, and you can't escape it. The blood was burning my arm as it dripped out, and I couldn't scream anymore. I was nearly dead."

"I couldn't watch my aunt torture Granger anymore," Draco admitted. "I've known her since we were eleven years old. And as much as I hated her, I couldn't see that happening to her. In school, she had always been so strong. She was always standing up against me, facing off against the rest Slytherin, and aiding Potter in everything he did. So to see her staring up at me, silently pleading for me to help her, and screaming out in agony, I couldn't watch it. She was weak. The Gryffindor Granger that I knew was never weak. It didn't seem real, like that wasn't really her."

"So you decided to join in and torture Wynter instead," Ron's darkened voice returned.

Remembering what they were told right before the wedding, Emmet shocked everyone when he said, "You don't have to explain this part Wynter. We already heard how you got your scars."

"The pack doesn't know."

If it was bad enough that Emmet – the vampire who loves a good fight and anything bloody – didn't want to hear it a second time, Sam shuddered at the thought. "We don't need to know. We already know enough."

"No," she shook her head. "You need to know why I treat Malfoy the way I do, no matter how kind he is to me. When Bellatrix took Hermione, her husband Rodolphus took me. Along with Greyback," all the wolves snarled at his name, it keeps coming up. "They dragged me into this dark room where Voldemort was; very ugly freak by the way: grey, bald, no nose, long skeleton like fingers; all in all, very ugly. He had these red slants where his eyes should be, and brown razors for teeth. He grinned when he saw me."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" it was Ron who asked her. "As much as I would love for everyone here to kill Malfoy, the nightmares just stopped Wynter."

She nodded her head, "They need to hear this Ron," he only dropped his head. They all saw the tears already falling to the grass. "He told me to join him, and when I laughed in his face, Greyback attacked me. He didn't bite me, but I could feel his claws deep in my ribs. Voldemort told me to join him again, and when I still refused, Rodolphus began to use the _Cruciatus Curse_ on me. I still refused to join him, and Greyback clawed at me again. All this time, Rodolphus was standing above me with his wand. There was cackling all around me, but I wouldn't scream."

"The Dark Lord loves to hear his victims scream," whispered the soft, and pitiful voice of Draco Malfoy. Tears haunted the melted silvered eyes, but refused to fall. "She was only making it worse on herself by not screaming."

"It went on for what seemed like an hour," Wynter shuddered, thinking back to that night. "Then I heard a door open, and everything stopped. I heard Voldemort say Malfoy's name, and I looked up. I saw him standing there, looking down at me. I opened my mouth to ask him for help, but then Greyback attacked again. My eyes stayed on his, and he didn't move. He only stood there watching everything. Voldemort stood up now, moving closer to me. Soon my shirt was missing, and my shorts were gone as well. I was standing there in nothing more than my bra and my knickers. My arms were tied up, and my feet were strapped down. I was paralyzed in midair, and I couldn't speak. Malfoy warned them that I could do wandless magic. So even though my wand was taken from me, they took extra precautions."

Draco didn't move away from the bared teeth that were now surrounding him. Even Alice was ready to pounce on him. She was confused. Her visions had never deceived her before. In her vision, she saw them in love. How could Wynter possibly love him after what he did to her? "The Dark Lord handed me Morris's wand; her own wand. He told me to beat her with it."

"This is the part he got his revenge for the slicing spell," it seemed like Ron's eyes were set in a permanent glare and his voice in a permanent hiss.

"The scars on my back," Wynter nodded her head. "Some are from Greyback's claws, but most are from Malfoy. He began to whip me with my own wand. At first my wand wouldn't cooperate, so after half an hour of hitting me weakly, he began to use his own wand. All the while, Voldemort kept asking for me to join him. I was his blood, and he wanted me on his side. He could protect me, and give me everything he ever wanted. I would marry the strongest Death Eater, and take over his legacy. Together we would own the wizarding world. I still refused. I refused to cry out in pain, and I refused to join him. Malfoy began to whip me harder; my skin was staring to bubble already. Greyback jumped back in, and clawed at me some more; digging his nails deeply into me, then dragging them down, cutting me open. Rodolphus joined in as well, using the _Cruciatus Curse _once more."

Seth pulled her into his arms, allowing her to feel his heartbeat pounding against his chest. He held her tightly against him, scared to let go. "That's fucking sick! How long were you there for?"

"It took three hours before Cedric found us," she told them. "We stayed with Ron and Ginny's oldest brother Bill, for a month. It was there that Bill's wife Fleur tried her hardest to heal me. The next month though, we broke into Gringotts, and stole the goblet. We found another Horcrux. Then it was the final battle."

"All within one month of being tortured like that?" Rosalie's voice was no longer filled with bells. It was shrill. "Have you both lost your minds? Even Hermione shouldn't have been moving."

"I was fine," Hermione insisted. "The only thing wrong with me was my scar, but Fleur healed me completely. It was Wynter who still couldn't walk properly. She was still bleeding, and still in obvious pain."

"We didn't choose when the war started. We went to Hogwarts to find the final Horcrux, but Voldemort followed us there to finish everything off for once."

"And that was when Malfoy decided to join our side," Ron rolled his eyes. "His father was fighting with Ginny, and Malfoy jumped in, flying a curse at Lucius. Everyone was fighting. We tried to get as much students as we could out of there, but we couldn't get that much out. Voldemort had all the vampires and all the wolves on his side. His wolves were like you guys Sam, they could shift at will. Our only werewolf was Remus, and he can only change during a full moon. And our only vampire was Cedric. Cedric helped out a lot though, because he could sense when a vampire was coming for one of us."

"I killed Rodolphus," Hermione beamed proudly. "In front of Bellatrix; I used a killing curse that they've never heard of before. She cried out in agony, and came for me, but Ginny began to duel her."

"I'm strong, but not that strong," Ginny sighed. "I was almost killed by her. Our friend, another member of the DA; Seamus, ran in and saved me. Soon enough my mum jumped in and started dueling her, she ended up killing that bitch."

"Thank god," Jacob sighed, relaxing for the first time since hearing Hermione had been tortured. "I think I would've had to break the treaty, and kill a human."

"Trust me Jacob," Carlisle snarled, "It wouldn't have broken anything."

"I heard you, Hermione," Alice turned to the now shocked girl. It was obvious by the look on her face, that she knew what Alice heard. "That day in the dress shop, when you and Wynter were convincing each other that you're both heroes, and to be proud of what you've done. When Wynter walked away after saying that Harry was the one who killed Voldemort, so he was the hero, you muttered-"

"But only because you handed his already half-dead body to Harry," Hermione nodded her head.

Groaning, Wynter held her face in her hands. She didn't want anyone to know this. "Harry, you ponce."

"I wanted them to know the truth," he argued. Then he sighed. Then he explained. "Our friend Neville killed Nagini, Voldemort's snake. And I was dead. Voldemort had to kill me because I was the final Horcrux. I was weak once I was killed. I came back, but I no longer shared Voldemort's strength."

Draco gasped now. "What?" he looked back from Harry to Wynter. "You mean, she killed the Dark Lord? Potter, you're known as the hero of the wizarding world, and you didn't even kill him?"

"He did kill him," Wynter sighed again. Then she yawned. The sky was already starting to lighten, and she was still dressed for the wedding. They all were, except for the wolves, aside from Seth, who was the only wolf at the wedding. "Voldemort found me. Harry was missing, and none of us could find him. It was when he was hiding beneath his cloak, and we were all searching for him. Right after Voldemort set the hat on fire on Neville's head, he came to me. He offered me his position; telling me to join his side. Once again he promised me the hand of a Death Eater," she blushed at this part, "This time though; he said instead of the strongest, he would give me the one of my choice. He seemed to think there was something between me and Malfoy. I pulled my wand on him, and he started to laugh. Voldemort and I began to duel. He learned then, just how strong I was. He started telling me how he knew I was strong, and he's always wanted me on his side, but he underestimated me. He thought Malfoy was exaggerating when he spoke about me. I weakened him. He was nearly dead, but I didn't kill him. Just one more blast with a wand, and he would be gone for good."

"That was when Wynter found me," Harry jumped in. "She was levitating him, and handed him right to me. She knew I was there, even when I wore my cloak. I watched the whole battle, which by the way, she left out a lot," Wynter hissed at him, and he quickly shut down, "After handing him to me; she took my cloak, and ran out shouting that I killed Voldemort. All I had to do was hit him with a simple _reducto, _and he fell to ashes around my feet."

When everyone gave her a puzzling stare, Wynter shrugged her shoulders, "I didn't want to be known. I don't like the attention, and I don't like people knowing my business. If it was known that I killed him, everyone would've been harassing me. It's already bad enough that I'm now known as his niece, and marked down as the next Dark Lord. But to be known as the one who killed him, they would all think I did it just to take his seat at the table."

"I'm still confused," Quil pointed at Draco, "I heard how he switched sides at the last minute, but why is he here now? Why isn't he dead or in that Azkaban place?"

"We searched his mind," Harry answered. "The Aurors and all of us, we all searched his mind. He was telling the truth when he said that he was forced to join the Death Eaters, and how he really did want to join us. He wasn't the one to kill Dumbledore, and as you heard earlier, Wynter blocked out his attempted murder on her. Why, I don't know, I mean he did try to kill her at the manor."

"Yeah," Jacob asked, feeling a protective need over the powerful witch. "Why didn't you go to Azkaban or get killed for that?"

"I said to set him free," Wynter stood up now. "Harry's godfather, Sirius Black is Draco's mum's first cousin. Sirius and Draco are family, and aside from Harry, Sirius doesn't have any family. Narcissa was an innocent in the war, but was killed by her own side. Sirius needed family, and he wanted Malfoy. He's sees a good in Malfoy that no one else does. And Malfoy's too frightened to go back home to the manor so he lives with us at Grimmauld Place."

"Black?" helping Hermione to her feet, Jacob also stood up. Turning to Draco, his eyebrow was raised, "You're a Black?"

Draco nodded his head, "My mother was Narcissa Black, but don't worry, we aren't related. I don't have shape-shifters in my family tree."

"That's funny," Jacob shook his head, "Because we have witches and wizards in ours. I have an uncle, I don't know his name, but he's a shape-shifter as well. Although, I guess in your world, you call them an _Animagus._"

Hermione gasped, "Sirius is an _Animagus; _Sirius Black, that's Draco's uncle."

Freshly showered, and dressed in black basketball shorts, and a plain red t-shirt, Wynter laid by herself in the bed. After filling everyone in on everything at the open field, everyone went back home because the pack and the humans need to actually sleep. Bella and Edward were now lying down in Bella's room, most likely consummating their marriage, thanks to Wynter's silencing spell. Billy took Charlie on a weekend fishing trip once he was filled in on everything, and Hermione was curled up with Jacob in his own bed, at his own house. The vampires allowed Draco, Harry, and Ron to stay with them; all sharing a room, while the pack returned to their own homes as well. Wynter felt weird. It's been three weeks since she had to sleep on her own.

Well not really. After the war, they all moved in with Sirius. Her room was right next to Draco's room on the third floor. Everyone else slept on the second floor. Every night, she would wake up screaming from her nightmares. She would open her eyes, and everyone would be crowded around her, trying to convince her that everything was alright now. It wasn't until the fifth night that she stopped sleeping altogether, when she heard Draco screaming in his sleep as well, peeking inside one of his dreams, she saw that he had the same nightmare as her; the day that he tortured her. It was then, when she slowly started sneaking into his room. It was there, that she would curl into his arms, and fall asleep at night. It was then when the nightmares stopped. Sometimes throughout the day though, Draco would fall asleep on his own, and that was when she would hear him whimpering again, or screaming himself awake. Unlike with her though, no one ran into his room to tell him he was okay.

This was the first time since she started falling asleep in Draco's arms that she had to sleep on her own. Sharing a room and a bed with Hermione the past nights helped her to not have any nightmares. It was only when she was alone that they haunted her, and now… now she was alone. Turning over onto her side, she tried to force herself to stay awake, but it was pointless. She was too tired, and her eyes were already shutting. Once again, she could feel the wands whip breaking down on her back.

**Yay for 12 paged chapters(: I hope you guys don't hate Draco now. I still love him! How about Wynter? And Ron. This story is funny, I've never really liked Ron, even when I read the books, he's always been one of my least favorite characters. (I think I supported Dramione even when I was 8-when the 1st book came out- and I already knew that Ron would ruin it for me) but in this story, I find myself liking Ron. Like he's the only one who's ever really been there for Wynter from day one? Idk, what do you guys think? Please review(:**

**Also, I just want to let you guys know that this is probably the last chapter I'll be able to post up until Christmas ): my laptop's charger is completely broken, and instead of buying a new one, I already know my parents brought me a new laptop for Christmas. So I won't be able to upload anything new until then. Hence, why I'm posting this up early instead of on Tuesday. Sorry guys, but I promise that I'll make it up to you guys, and post a really good chapter on Christmas day(:**


	7. Training

**I'm sorry I didn't post anything up on Christmas day as promised. Here's what happened…the new laptop I got on Christmas has absolutely no writing programs on it whatsoever, and I can't get onto my old laptop because the chargers broken and my brother threw it away. I've been waiting on my uncle's friend who offered to download a Microsoft word program onto my new laptop, and I was unable to get to any of my stories because something's wrong with the my flashdrive key thingy, so I'm still waiting for my payment so I can buy a new charger, and I'm still waiting for my uncle's friend… These past days, I've only able to do new things on my brothers laptop, which only has "text edit" so I have to then upload it as a DocX then copy it onto my mom's laptop when she's sleeping, and start a new document. It's extremely complicated, and I'm trying to keep my patience, but I couldn't hold it in anymore. I googled what to do… and I downloaded **_**Microsoft Word Starter 10**_** and some converter thing, and somehow managed to get my key thing to work, and transfer my stories to the new laptop, which is now even more complicated than before. **

**So slowly, I'm fixing up all of the stories since converting it changed it in simple ways, and editing all my stories at the same time. So if you notice, I've fixed all the grammar mistakes and just mistakes in general in past chapters of nearly every story. I can't do all the stories in one day, because this is taking forever, so please be patient if you read more than just one. Hopefully they should all be fixed, and have new chapters by next week! It is taking a while though because after so many chapters I get lazy, and end up doing a one-shot… so if you notice… I have about 3-4 new one-shots(:**

**Well here's the chapter you've all been waiting for(:**

Training

Once again the vampires were all neatly dressed in designer clothing, while the pack was shirtless. Dressed in long jeans and a long sleeved shirt, Bella sat on the hood of Emmet's jeep. Ron and Harry both wore long jeans as well, with a tank top while Draco followed the pack. It was difficult for Wynter to keep her eyes off him. Such pale white skin tightened with a hard body; deep creases where his eight-pack was, with a patch of pale blonde fur leading deep into his low sagging black jean shorts. She could see the faint lines of his own scars deep on his back. Ginny was dressed in simple shorts that reached between her thighs and knees with a tank top, while Hermione wore long jeans and a short sleeved shirt. Dressed in a short blue jeaned jumper that reached only her thighs, Wynter wore only a black sports bra under it. With her hair tied back into a bun, she flew Jasper far into the tree.

"We don't know how many Death Eaters they have," she shouted at everyone. "From our records, we know that seventy-one have been killed in the war, twenty-three have been pushed through the veil by Kingsley, and forty-nine are in Azkaban. We have two on our side, and according to both Snape and Malfoy – we're missing ninety-two. Now we don't know for sure if they're all in the new army, or only some. Or if they recruited any new ones."

"Once it was known that Severus and I joined the Order, we stopped getting their calls," Draco stepped up. Sweat was glistening on his forehead, making his face flush with a glistening heat in an attractive way, causing Wynter to have to look away. "Of all the Death Eaters that we couldn't catch, only thirteen of them could master wandless magic, and from all of us, only Morris knows how."

Speaking up from where she was sitting next to Bella, Ginny raised her hand, "I know only a few minor spells without my wand, but we can't win a war by just _stupefying _everybody. It will help out because they're paralyzed for a bit, but we need more than just that."

"Sirius wrote back to me this morning," Wynter held a parchment in her hand. "The Order is preparing back in London. We have twenty-six of our own members waiting for our word on what to do. And those are just strictly members of the Order, not including ourselves or all our friends that our willing to help us. Out of those twenty-six, twelve of them can do wandless magic."

"Twelve?" Ron shook his head, "No, only ten can: Mum, Dad, Snape, McGonagall, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Kingsley, Bill, and Charlie."

Shaking her own head, Wynter smiled as Hermione coughed. "Seamus and Neville came to me for help during sixth year. They can do it to."

"Oh," after muttering something that even the vampires close to him couldn't hear, Ron sighed, "Well that's not fair."

Chuckling, Draco waited a moment before continuing. "Now, just because I can't block out my mind doesn't mean the others can't. That's why the Dark Lord thought of me as weak, I was the only one who didn't know how to. I'm also the youngest. I don't know if they recruited anyone after the war, but I do know that everyone else were fathers' of my classmates. Aside from my aunt Bellatrix, Death Eaters are only males, but it doesn't mean that wives or girlfriends won't fight alongside them. Look at my mother with my father. I know that the vampires he trained are fed only human blood, so they will be stronger than you guys, since you're all vegetarians."

"Right there's where I come in then," Carlisle stood up. "I work at the hospital; I can bring home blood bags from the donors."

"No," Alice shook her head, "That will break our treaty with the pack."

"No it won't," Sam also shook his head, "You need to be strong enough to fight them."

"You don't need to feed off of human blood," Wynter assured them, "Just be strong enough to fend off it."

"What?"

"There will be lots of blood being shed throughout this war. This isn't like the war you had this summer when Victoria came for Bella. This war is mostly humans; blood will shed, and you are vampires. It's their weakest point. During the final battle, once people began to drop, they started caring about feeding more than they cared about following orders."

"Wynter, no-"

Alice's vision came too late, and Wynter's wrist was already sliced open. She held it out in the air. Jasper's eyes were the first to turn black while he lunged in the air for her. Emmet tried to control his hunger, but after a while, he fell weak as well. Seeing her husband lose all his self-control, Rosalie attacked as well. "I'm going to be spilling my blood a lot without warning, you need to learn to control your urges, or you'll be killed in the war," Wynter said, flying the three who attacked her, into the trees with her wand.

"You can't just do stuff like that," Draco shouted. The anger thickened his voice, as he ran to her side. Grabbing her wrist in his hands, he used his wand to heal her. "Gradually work up to it."

"We don't have time to gradually work up to it," bitterly pulling her wrist away from him, she turned to Jasper who looked embarrassed, "I know you're the strongest in battle, but you're the weakest one when it comes to bloodlust. You didn't even try to fight the urge. We need to work on that."

"Sorry about that," he nodded his head. "I almost killed Bella on her birthday because of that last year to."

"So aside from Morris trying to kill herself," they could still hear the rage in Draco's voice, "They have mixtures of wolves. They have the slaves to the moon, and they have shape-shifters. Whereas you guys hunt bears and vampires, they feed off humans, and other wolves."

"We eat rival wolves," Sam nodded his head, "It makes us stronger. If an enemy wolf were to die in this war, we'll feed off them, and grow stronger during the battle."

"I killed Greyback," Hermione reminded them, "But they have hundreds more just like him. They're strong in their own sense; trapped between wolf and human. They're stuck with the strength and agilities of a wolf, but also some features of a furry human. They are neither slave to the moon, nor shape-shifters. They're as deadly as either, but stronger than both. A simple bite can turn you, and their nails are filled with a poison."

"Aside from you guys, we only have Remus," Harry also reminded them. "We don't have that much to train you guys with when it comes to them."

"I can," Draco spoke up. They noticed that when it came to this battle, he was the one taking over as the leader. And they allowed him to. "I was there when Greyback would train. They didn't think much of me because they were so sure that Morris would've killed me already. I know that as a reward for being good, the Dark Lord would often feed him a Death Eater as a prize. He fed off human flesh, and I know his soldiers did as well. It's what made them stronger."

"We'll figure something out," Sam nodded his head. "We're considered vegetarians to our kind as well, by not eating human flesh, but we'll work with you to beat them with everything else."

Nodding her head, Hermione stepped up now. "They go to kill the spares first, as we learned with Cedric. Spares are the ones that have nothing to do with what they want, and my cousin would be a spare to them. Not only does she have nothing to do with this war, but she can't defend herself either, and since I know her so well, we're gonna have to force her into-"

"I have to be a vampire within a week," Bella shook her head, interrupting before her cousin could finish her sentence. "Or else the Volturi will kill me. So unless this war's going to be before then, I'll be a newborn."

"Which means even more that we need her out of Forks by the time they get here," Hermione continued. "Alice, you're sure that we can't kill the Volturi?"

Alice nodded her head, "Bella was meant to be one of us. And she can fight. I've seen her as a newborn. She doesn't crave blood the way most newborns do. She'll be powerful on our side."

"Then turn me now."

Chuckling, Edward shook his head. Walking over to his wife, he wrapped his arms around her. "Just be patient Bella. I promised you I would turn you, and I will."

"I just don't understand why it has to take this long," she grumbled.

Rolling his eyes at the pout that Bella was now sporting, Draco cleared his throat again. "A witch and a wizard can be fighting with two people, but if they were to turn their heads and see you hurting someone on their side, they can kill you with their wand if your back is to them. Seeing as how you don't have wands, it will be more difficult for you to duel with one of them."

"And the giants," Ron reminded them. "They have giants on their side. I owled Hagrid, asking if him and Madam Maxine can get the giants to stay out of this, but if they bring in the giants, Forks will never know what hit them. This entire town could become destroyed."

"Then we need to clear out Forks," Jasper said.

"It's not that simple," Ginny jumped off the jeep. "We can't just clear out an entire town."

"We can clear out all the giants though," Cedric said, speaking for the first time. When he saw everyone giving him a confused look, he chuckled. "A portkey – we can send them off to the forbidden forest."

"But then they'll kill the centaurs."

"We can have the centaurs waiting for them. Or send them off to the mountains or something."

"But how will we get all the giants to touch one portkey?" asked Draco.

Alice was grinning like a mad woman at this point. "Let Bella handle that. She'll need to be changed by then of course. All you need is a simple tiny rock. Make that the portkey, and leave them with Bella."

"Are you mad?" Ron started choking. "We're not leaving Bella with a bunch of giants. They're insane. Even if she is a vampire, it just isn't safe."

"Just trust me, Ron," Alice told him in a soothed voice. "She'll be fine. If you have a power when you're human, it travels with you when you become a vampire, enhancing it. I can see the future, Edward can read minds, Cedric can do wandless magic, and Jasper can alter your mood. Bella is powerful. She can do it."

No longer frowning, Bella perked up at Alice's words. "I get a power?"

"Yes."

"Cool. What is it? Can I fly? Do I get wings? Can I do magic too?" shrugging her shoulders at all the weird looks she was getting, Bella sat back on the hood. "I'm just curious. I mean, what's not possible anymore? All this talk of a war between witches, wizards, giants, wolves, and vampires, and you guys are telling me that you _don't _believe in people having wings?"

"Actually people do," Ginny announced. "Veela's have wings."

"Vee-" chuckling with a twitch of her lips, Bella laid her body down on the windshield now. "Of course people have wings. I knew it."

Jasper, who had been watching Wynter the entire time, found this to be the perfect opportunity to attack her. Edward, who read his brother's mind, nodded his head. Before they could even reach Wynter though, they were already levitating in the air. Realizing that the training has just begun, Jacob attacked Wynter as well. Within a second though, he was being held back by an invisible force field. And just like that, everyone was attacking everyone. Esme was in a wrestling position with Sam, while Quil and Embry took on Ginny. Harry was up against Emmet and Rosalie, while Carlisle, Alice, and Seth took on Draco. Hermione was in a duel between Cedric and Ron.

"Morris," Draco shouted from where he was holding off the two vampires and wolf. "You can't hold back."

Trapped beneath Jacob and Edward, Wynter was still holding Jasper off with her mind. Her wand was crushed between her back, and the grass. Jacob was trying to bite at her, while Edward was pinning her down. Jasper fought against the shield, but it was useless. "This is training, Malfoy," she shouted back. It was then, when Jacob realized she was playing with them. "If I don't hold back, I'll kill them."

"You have to use more strength on us," Edward jumped up. He heard it as well. Wynter's voice was a dead giveaway that they weren't even tiring her out. "If you go weak on us during training, we'll be killed in a heartbeat in the war. Attack us harder than you have been."

_"Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupe – _dammit Alice! Stop moving… _stupefy!"_

Sending Emmet flying with his wand while fending off Esme, Harry turned to his girlfriend who was becoming frustrated. _"Stupefy!"_

"I had her, Harry!" Ginny shouted in aggravation.

"Harry just proved a point," Draco announced, dodging a spear from Carlisle, and Seth. "Alice was so focused on watching only Ginny's future attacks, that Harry was able to paralyze her. Death Eaters won't be as kind as we're being."

"This is being kind?" pulling out of his own battle, Quil shook his head. "I'm already out of breath, and I'm a wolf – it's hard for us to get out of breath."

"You need to come at us with the unforgivable curses," Emmet nodded his head, joining Quil. "If this is being kind, then we need to be prepared for what we're going to get into. So come at me, Draco. Use an unforgivable on me. Maybe because I'm a vampire, I'll become immune to it."

_"Crucio!"_ Draco stood there watching with his jaw on the ground. The strong Emmet was now writhing around on the ground, immersed with pain, and screaming out in agony. Standing above him with her wand in her hand, was Hermione. "Emmet's right," her voice was harsh. She was no longer the bookworm Granger, but now the war hero Hermione. "We need to train for real."

The days followed in the same pattern. Billy was excited to learn that Hermione was the one his son imprinted on, and got used to seeing her at his house every morning and every night. Charlie was excited to see that Bella and Edward returned from their honeymoon 'early,' and glad that his niece got with Jacob, seeing as his daughter refused to. He was, however, depressed to see Bella move in with the Cullens, and Hermione sleeping at Jacob's every night. And to make matters worse, the Cullens just had to go, and take Wynter to. He had no idea what they were really doing.

Every morning they would meet back at the field. Draco would take the wolves, while Wynter would cut herself open. Rosalie and Emmet grew immune to her scent already, and Jasper could last one minute before attacking. One day though, Wynter decided to switch things up. Instead of cutting herself, she cut Draco open. Draco was pissed because he was working with the wolves when he felt the curse hit him, and sensed the vampire coming for him. When he demanded to know why she did it, Wynter simply shrugged her shoulders, and said she needed to make sure that Emmet and Rosalie was immune to the bloodlust, and not just _her _scent. It was a test, and they passed.

They would train from six in the morning, until five in the afternoon. Returning back to their places, everyone would train in secret. They were four days into the training when Wynter pulled another unexpected stunt. "Malfoy?"

Sitting at the desk in his borrowed room, Draco put down his muggle pen, and turned around. He was shocked to see Wynter standing in the doorway wearing a black colored strapless dress. "Yes?"

"Use an unforgivable on me."

"What?"

"Emmet's right," she told him. "We all need to be prepared. He can last thirteen minutes now before the pain kicks in, and Alice can last seven. Sam can go fifteen, and Jacob can hold it in for sixteen. The Death Eaters are going to come after us to though. We all need to be prepared."

"I'm not going to use the _Cruciatus Curse_ on you Morris."

"You did before."

Draco sighed. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose, and he sighed. "I was being forced to, Morris. And things are different now; I'm not like that anymore."

"I'm giving you permission, Malfoy! This war is because of me, and we all know it. I know it's the freaking elephant in the room, but it's me that they're coming here for. I need to be prepared. It hurts, you know. Your insides are on fire, and your bones are melting, and you can feel it. You can feel it as its happening to you. And then they add the whips, and it stings. Your insides are on fire, and your bones are melting, and you can feel it stinging you. Like a million bees all stinging you at once. And it bloody well hurts! And I want it to be numb. The vampires and the pack are numb to it now. And I want to be numb to it as well."

**Among the Lashasa Palulu, there is no word for God. When speaking of divine things, they merely point at the sun. When they are indoors, they must do this with their feet, since they walk with their hands. If you have never seen a group of Lashasa Palulu praying indoors, with their toes pointed skyward, you have missed something. As Glory Hallelujah enters my anti-math class and smiles at me, I am tempted to spring onto my hands and point my feet skyward in a prayer of thanks, but I restrain myself. **

** Then we are sitting side by side, sharing the delicious secret of our Friday night date. I know she is thinking about it, even though she manages- no doubt through a huge effort of will- to give no outward sign that anything has taken place between us. She appears to be listening carefully to Mrs. Moonface, but she is, of course, thinking of what our life will be like together, henceforth.**

** I am also pretending to listen to Mrs. Moonface. I have long ago perfected the technique – invaluable in anti-math class – of not being noticed by being noticed. Let me explain**. (pg.76)

"What are you reading?"

Returning the animated penguin bookmark in its place, Hermione turned around. Smiling at the perfectly perfect boyfriend of hers, she put the book down on his bed. "A book I borrowed from Wynter the day we came to Forks. I try to read it to get my mind off the war."

"What is it about?" climbing into the bed, Jacob pulled her into his arms. Grinning as Hermione wrapped her arms around his bare chest, he inhaled her strawberry shampoo.

"I don't know," seeing him look down at her with a puzzling face, she laughed. "I'm seventy-six pages into it, and I have absolutely no idea what it's about. I love it though. The boy, who narrates the story, describes everything in his own mind. He has an anti-math class with his teacher who he calls, Mrs. Moonface. He's in love with a girl he nicknamed Glory Hallelujah, and he goes on to describe the most peculiar things. It reminds me of Wynter in a way."

Laughing at the idea of such a boy, Jacob began to absentmindedly run his fingers through Hermione's hair. "And how is that?"

"If only you knew Wynter before she shut down," her voice changed, and he could hear that she was thinking back to before. A small smile fell upon her lips, and Hermione sighed. "Even when we first noticed her, when she was all bloody and shocked to learn that she was Voldemort's niece, she would always skip down the halls. For someone who hated attention, she did the oddest of things. Until now, we still don't understand how we didn't notice her until then. I mean I lived in a room with her for five years, and had no idea she even existed. She was so peculiar, so odd; believing in things that don't exist, skipping down the halls, and humming to herself. Just like our friend Luna."

"Luna Lovegood?" Jacob remembered hearing her name, because they liked to call her Loony. Well at least, Ron, Harry, and even Draco, liked to call her Loony. He caught Cedric calling her the same thing as well a couple of times. "The girl who hunts _Nargles, _and those _Hornsprout_ things or whatever it's called; that's who Wynter reminds you of?" he asked in disbelief. Wynter was always so quiet though.

"_Wrackspurts,_" Hermione giggled, "And yes, that Luna; always wearing odd robes, radish earrings, and talking of things that isn't real. We didn't know who she was until fifth year either. But it's like once you do meet them, it's like you can't not notice them. And that's the Wynter that we all miss. When Malfoy first approached her, she was still… you know… herself. But ever since that night that Snape killed Dumbledore, she's just been…"

"Darker?"

"Exactly, she's always stuck in a dark depressed state. She tries to smile, and she tries to go back to her old self, but something always brings her right back. And when I read this book, I only laugh. This nameless and faceless boy reminds me of the old Wynter from before I began to fear her."

"You think she's going to lose it one of these days, and follow in Voldemort's steps," Jacob realized. He suspected Hermione's thoughts from that first night he imprinted on her, but now was different. Now, she was admitting it. Loudly.

"Is that wrong of me?"

Is it? Is it wrong to tell someone you believe in them every day, and train by their side, convincing them to fight the good fight then secretly fear that they'll snap and kill you? Is it wrong to fear your own friend? Is it wrong to have second thoughts about someone you trust turning around and killing you? "I think it's normal," he told her. "To have doubts, but I also think you should have more faith in her. When she goes back into her depression, or when she shuts down, you should talk to her. She knows you fear her. Show her that you don't want to. Show her that you want things to go back to how it used to be. Talk to her when you get the chance. Take a break from all this training, and spend a girl's day thing or something. I think it's easier to turn evil when your own friends turn away from you."

Everything was on fire. The outlet was sparking as the electricity mixed in with the flames. Just gritting her teeth sent a surge throughout her entire body. Her bones went from cracking to melting. Staring into his eyes, she saw the pain. She fought against it, but everything was burning. Flames were licking at the inside of her skin. Knives were skinning her alive, peeling at her skin as if she were an apple. He wanted to stop, but she wouldn't let him. Silent tears rolled down her eyes, and he pulled his wand away. Gasping for breath, she held onto her stomach. "Again," once she found her voice, she hissed out the order. "We're not done yet."

**Disclaimer: The book that Hermione is reading is titled ****You Don't Know Me ****written by David Klass! It's the same book from the very first chapter, and it's an excerpt from page 76. **

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. Review please(: Happy Holidays!**


	8. Joining The Club

Joining The Club

There was only one day left until the deadline of Bella becoming a vampire ended. Sirius wrote to Wynter every day. The Order was growing stronger, and Hagrid had managed to convince the giants to stay out of this war, but Alice said differently. She still claimed to see giants in her visions. They were all confused. One minute Alice is seeing giants then the next minute she doesn't see a future. She sees Bella as a vampire, but then she doesn't see anything. One thing always remains the same though. She doesn't see Wynter. No matter how hard she tries, she doesn't see Wynter in anything. Everyone fears what that means, but they don't say it out loud.

Emmet was the only one who knew about the secret training sessions between Draco and Wynter. They were always smart to make sure they silenced Draco's room when they would practice the unforgivable, but one day they forgot to silence it. They forgot to lock the door, and Emmet returned home early from hunting. Ron and Harry were both with Hermione while Jacob was out hunting with his pack as well and Emmet expected to find Draco and Wynter killing each other. Instead, he found Draco standing above a writhing Wynter, telling her that he wanted to stop already, that it's been eleven minutes, and she was still in pain. Four days of secretly training and she still couldn't numb the pain. Emmet was stuck when he found them, not knowing what to do. They explained everything to him, and he still didn't know how to respond. It wasn't until eight hours later that he approached them. He made a promise to fight hard. He made a promise to protect Wynter. She was fighting a war that she shouldn't, and she was braver than most would be.

"Focus Seth," Hermione shouted. "I thought you ate already."

"I did," he shouted back.

"Then why are you being so sloppy? You're falling right into Ginny's spells. Focus."

"We've been training for eight days," he whined. "Edward and Bella are taking a break. Why can't we?"

"Because Edward is turning Bella into a vampire," Sam shouted at his youngest pack member. "Would you like to take a break to become a vampire, Seth?"

"No."

Transforming into the light brown wolf he was, Seth ran for his pack leader. While the two started fighting, Jasper was in a heated battle between Ginny and Draco. Ginny was trying to paralyze him while Draco was hitting him with stinging hexes. He could smell it. The familiar rusted apple scent. He expected himself to charge after her, but it never happened. He continued to battle with his enemies for the moment. Then he inhaled the second scent. A rusty grass scent he hadn't smelt before, but it still didn't call to him. Two minutes passed by. Seven minutes passed by. An hour went by, and he caught the familiar blood scent once more. Again, he didn't react to it.

"Yes!"

"What?" everybody stopped dueling, and turned to Wynter.

Grinning, she was excitedly jumping up and down. "Jasper didn't attack any of us. He ignored my blood. And I even cut open Ron and Ginny. He didn't attack either of us. He just kept on fighting. And I was watching him the entire time. Not once did he have to fight the urge. He just completely ignored it."

"Way to go Jasper!"

"That's right bro, you ignore that bloodlust!"

"I'm proud of you son!"

"I knew you could do it hun!"

"Congrats man!"

"We're so gonna win this war!"

"That's great Jasper," Draco grinned, patting his new vampire friend on his back. "I know how much you've been trying to succeed with your bloodlust. I'm proud of you."

If vampires could blush, Jasper would've looked as if somebody dumped an entire bucket of red paint on him, "Thanks."

"Now let's get back to training," Wynter announced. "Seth, I'll take you. You're really sloppy today. What's wrong with you? Are you tired or hungry?"

Running over to where his friend was waiting for him, Seth shook his head. He was still in his wolf form, but he couldn't understand why he was falling right into every curse or hex that Ginny would fly at him. He was just off balance today.

They continued to train. It was only ten minutes in when they all heard Wynter scream. The pack was in their human form in an instant. Hermione found a spell the day before that allowed them to change back with their clothing on them already. Lying on the grass, Wynter was pinned down by Seth, a position they always landed in, but this time was different. During training, the wolves would always attempt to bite one of them, but they never actually did. When the others reached the screaming girl though, they saw the blood dripping from Seth's mouth. Wynter was writhing around, shouting out in pain. The light pink shirt she was wearing was now soaked with blood, and her hands were holding onto her stomach. Seth remained in his wolf form, staring down at the girl under him.

"Seth!" Sam shouted, "What happened?"

"I don't know," returning to his human form, Seth finally jumped off of Wynter, allowing Carlisle to get to her. "We were training, and I got her pinned down like always. I leaned in as if to bite her, just like I always do, and she shouted a wandless spell at me, just like she always does. I growled and bit at her. She shouted another spell, and it hit me. It stung, and she went to push me off. I don't know what happened, but the next thing I knew, I actually bit her. I didn't mean to. I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

Lifting the tight shirt, Carlisle examined the wound. "I need to get her back to the house. She lost meat. You took out quite a chunk, Seth."

"I'm sorry."

Turning to Seth, Draco was ready to use the killing curse on him, but he saw the tears in the young boy's eyes. He remembered how much the two were laughing as he watched them dance together for a couple of minutes at the wedding, and he felt sorry for him. "We know you didn't mean to actually bite her, Seth. You have been off from the beginning of the training session."

"Go home Seth," Sam ordered him. "Clean yourself up, and tell Billy what happened. Quil, go with him."

Nodding their heads, the two boys took off as quickly as possible. "Draco," Carlisle sighed, "Apparate both Wynter and I back home. We need to move her without actually moving her," once Draco had his hands on them, he looked up at everyone else, "We'll see you soon."

Holding onto her stomach, Wynter wanted to tell whoever was screaming to shut the hell up, but she realized it was coming from her own mouth. She had never felt so much pain before in her life. Thinking back to the day at Malfoy Manor, she wanted to laugh at how much they tickled her that day. Everything was so different now. Nothing was the same. Everything was hurting her, and none of it was good. This kind of fire burning through her was nothing like the fire that Draco usually set on her. This fire was claiming her, branding her as its own. This fire was taking over every inch of her blood, causing it to boil until her insides were overcooked. And she could feel all of it. She screamed out for help, but all she could feel were hands on her. The hands were helping to spread the fire, and it was only making things worse. Trying to keep her eyes open, she started to see blackness. Her vision was beginning to blur, and she could feel herself crying.

"Get her on the bed!" Carlisle shouted once they appeared in his work room. Watching as Draco gently laid Wynter down, he quickly tore off her shirt.

Draco gasped as he looked down at her. With her shirt now completely gone from her body, Wynter laid there in only her blue jean shorts and a black colored bra. Her lower stomach was drenched in blood with a chunk of flesh missing. It looked as if Seth had gotten a good piece of meat out of her. "What the hell happened to her?"

Pouring water over the wound, Carlisle shouted, "Hold her down."

"I got it," running past Draco, who was still frozen in his spot, Emmet held onto the girl's shoulders.

"Jasper, get out of here."

"I'm fine. The blood doesn't call to me anymore," ignoring Carlisle's order to get out of the room, Jasper ran to help his brother hold down the struggling girl.

"Impossible."

Turning to Sam who stood in the doorway, watching the scene in awe, Cedric asked, "What's impossible?"

"She's a shape-shifter now," no one said anything in response. Carlisle continued trying to clean the wound, and stop the bleeding while Draco was still staring down at the screaming girl. Everyone else turned to look at Sam though. Nodding his head, he moved in closer to her. "I've heard legends before… of people turning with a bite, but it hasn't happened in over three hundred years. We aren't slaves of the moon, our bites don't affect anyone. Until now."

Turning his head away from the girl in pain, and back to the pack's leader, Harry clenched his fists. "But how?"

"It happens only to the strongest of fighters," Sam said in awe. Reaching for Wynter, he touched his hand to her forehead. "The venom in our blood can sense the warriors when we're near them. That must be why Seth bit her without realizing it. For the past eight days, he had been close to her; his teeth always near, but never biting. His wolf blood just took over."

"Will she be alright?" asked Jacob. "I've heard the legends too, Sam. And a female has never been bitten before or someone with magical blood. It's always only been males, and even then, there were only four of them."

Nodding his head, Sam sighed. "It'll hurt like hell for the rest of the night, and for the next couple of days, but she'll live. I don't know how she'll handle it though. The venom answers only to the strongest of warriors and fighters. She's already been through so much, and already fought too much. This war coming up might just be the one that kills her. The power from her magic, and now the strength from this bite could be enough to push her over the edge."

"No," tired of watching Emmet and Jasper struggle to hold her down, Draco walked over. The oddest thing happened. Once his hand touched her forehead, Wynter calmed down. Still screaming out in pain, she was no longer fighting against them. Seeing Wynter relax under his touch, Draco shook his head. Looking up at Sam, he shook it once more, "No, we won't let her. I won't let her fall into the darkness. She isn't alone in this."

"Draco's right," Esme nodded her head. "She has all of us."

"And the pack can help her through her transformations," Embry added. "Right Sam?" looking up at his pack leader for an answer, Embry's voice was filled with hope. He admired the girl, and he wasn't ready to lose her.

"Of course," walking over to Draco, Sam placed his hand on his shoulder, "She has the pack as well. She can join us."

"And she has us," Hermione spoke up. Moving away from Jacob, she felt a bit annoyed at how everyone stepped up before they did. Wynter was a witch. Even if she was some freak who was now a Quileute wolf, she was still a witch first.

Groaning at all the blood, Ron started to walk away, "I'll owl Sirius to let the Order know what happened."

"I'll go with you," Rosalie said. "I can handle the blood. I just can't handle seeing my friend in that much pain."

"Me too," Ginny followed after them. "She was tortured for three hours straight, and not once did she scream. But now," she shook her head, before dropping it. "I just can't."

They were at the field when they smelt the blood. Glancing at each other only once, they ran until they found the now sedated girl. Apparently it's been two days since Seth bit Wynter and turned her into a Quileute wolf. Nobody mentioned the redness of Bella's eyes, and Alice stayed away from everyone. She felt guilty; blaming herself for everything. How could she not have realized? All this time, she couldn't see Wynter in the future; it was because she was a wolf. If only she put the pieces together, she could have prevented everything. Annoyed with herself for not preventing this, Alice chose to just stay out of the room that they were keeping her in. Edward immediately fell right back into training with everyone else, while Draco refused to leave Wynter's side. Jasper went into the room to check on Wynter the night before, and found Draco sitting up and sleeping by the edge of the bed. His hand was in hers, and they were both sleeping peacefully. It was as if without the other there, they were both edgy. With Draco around, Wynter didn't scream as often, and she hardly whimpered. If he even left the room for a second, however, that was when the fits would start up again.

Another two days passed by before she finally woke up. "Carlisle?"

Turning to the raspy voice that called out his name, Carlisle was already smiling, "Wynter. You're up, you gave us quite a scare you know."

"W-What happened?"

"Seth bit you while training."

"What?"

Nodding his head, he ran his hand over her forehead. "He took out quite a chunk out of your stomach."

"Is he alright?"

Carlisle chuckled. "I tell you that Seth bit out a chunk out of your stomach, and you ask if _he's_ alright."

"He didn't get into too much trouble, did he? Or beat himself up over this, did he?"

"No," he assured her. "Apparently the wolf in him sensed your strength. It became attracted to your strong warrior abilities, and it acted on its own. Seth didn't even know what he was doing until you were screaming out in pain. You've been out for four days."

"Four days," Wynter shook her head. Trying to sit up, she immediately fell back. "My head hurts. And so does my insides. My lungs are on fire. I'm thirsty."

"I'll get you water. You need to rest for now though."

Sipping the water that was instantly in her hand, and silently thanking vampire speed, Wynter stared up at Carlisle. "I need to train. I missed four days already."

"You need to rest."

She saw the guilt he was trying to hide. "You're hiding something from me."

"You were… well you see… when Seth bit you… how do I put this?"

"You're a shape-shifter now."

The voice was like harps playing heavenly music to her ears. Already knowing who it belonged to; she turned to see light shining all around him. Everything stopped. Birds were no longer chirping, and the world stopped spinning. Her heart was no longer beating, and she couldn't breathe. His eyes had never seemed so bright before, and his beauty marks had never been so noticeable. Just staring at him, she could smell that he was sweating. Sweat mixed in with his spicy orange aroma; an aroma that was permanently etched into her mind. Watching as he slowly moved towards her, she was already lifting her arm, reaching out to touch him. She needed to touch him, to feel him beneath her. Against her. With her. She just needed him.

"I think its best that Seth leaves the country for a while."

Turning to Carlisle who was now running into the Black's home, everyone stopped what they were doing. "Why?" Billy asked, rolling closer to his ally and friend.

"Wynter just woke up."

Walking out of the kitchen, Hermione was confused. "She didn't take the news of him biting her so well?"

"Wynter just imprinted on Draco," Emmet shouted, entering the house, with his family right behind him.

**A/N: I'm an epic fail… I know… sorry! I don't know when my next update is going to be because right now, too many things are happening. I'm still trying to fix all my other 300 stories from my flashkey thingy, but more importantly, we're waiting on news for my uncle. On Christmas Eve, we got a call from my dad's sister that my dad's twin brother was in a coma and could die any day. Then New Years Eve, we got a call saying that he woke up. An hour later, he was in a coma again. Last night my brother and my dad flew up to California to see him, and now they're talking about pulling the plug. This uncle of mines is the only one from my dad's side of the family that I really know. My mind is too complicated right now for me to focus on writing.**

**It's 2 in the morning here, I'm eating hot pockets and peaches n' cream, listening to **_**Black Veil Brides**_** and crying while writing, but right now, I'm just trying to update all my stories, before I leave you guys for a while again!**


	9. Rejection

Rejection

Looking as glum as she had been from the moment Wynter had been bitten, Alice sat between Paul and Embry on the couch, as if it were the most normal thing in the world for her to do. Although they had been getting along over the past weeks, the pack and the vampires still couldn't handle the smell of their opposites, and Paul was still a bit temperamental when it came to being too close to their former enemies. Usually Alice was no exception, but when he looked at her to say something about her stench, he bit his tongue. She was depressed looking. The normally bouncy and chipper Alice Cullen was depressed, and he just couldn't bring himself to be the one to dampen her mood anymore.

"What happened?" asked Harry, standing next to Hermione near the kitchen.

"She woke up," Carlisle began explaining to them. "I explained to her how Seth bit her, and she asked if he was alright. She wanted to make sure that he wasn't beating himself up over it. When she asked me how long she's been out for, she tried jumping up to start training again. I was stumbling on the proper way to explain to her how she was now… how the bite transformed her-"

Rolling his eyes as his father was taking too long to tell everybody the really interesting parts, Emmet jumped in. "Draco walked in, and he told her that she was a shape-shifter now. But before he could fully get out the entire story about what happened, Wynter was reaching out for him while he was making his way closer to her-"

"We ran downstairs just in time as he reached her," Rosalie grinned in a wicked way, "Clamping his hand in hers, Wynter pulled Draco down onto the bed with her."

"Oh Merlin, this isn't good."

"I'm going to go stab my brains out now."

"Wynter's not going to be too happy about this."

"At least now she'll finally shag him."

"Ginny!" came the gasps from a couple of the shocked members in the room.

Looking around, Ginny placed both of her hands on her hips. "Oh, come on now… you guys can't all be blind to those two? It's been that way ever since he beat her up in that corridor the first day we met her. There's always some sort of sexual tension between those two, and she's always trying to deny-"

"How could I be so stupid?"

Turning away from the red haired vixen that he had learned to fear, Jasper turned to his wife, "You aren't stupid."

"I am," Alice frowned, jumping to her feet. "It all makes sense now; the reason why I saw Wynter with Draco in my visions – she was imprinted on him. I was curious why in my visions they were so love with each other, when in reality she refuses to have anything to do with him. It all makes sense to me now," chewing on her lower lip, she shook her head. "I have to go."

"Where are you going?"

Turning her back to her family, Alice shook her head, "I need to see something. I'll be back in time for the war."

Her skin was burning, a permanent flame dancing on it, with his icy breath taunting her. Pressing her body tightly against his, she tried to cool herself down. She was heating up, and only his iciness could cool her down. Fingertips lightly brushed against the sides of her body while her fingers ran through his hair; such silky hair; such smooth hair. It fell like feathers against her fingers, tickling her. It didn't take long after she woke up to realize that she was wearing nothing more than a sheet, allowing her to see that Carlisle had stripped her completely naked somewhere along the process of fixing her up. Her eyes were shut tightly, but she didn't need them open to see the perfect vision pressing against her.

"You need to sleep," her voice was raw, her lips pressing against a point on his collarbone that made his knees buckle against her.

"I slept enough," he spoke in a hushed breath.

"You're lying to me," she shook her head; "You're tired. I can see it in your eyes."

Feeling the vibrations emanating from his body when he chuckled, his voice was like music to her ears. She already knew that he could whisper from miles away, and she would hear his voice. "Your eyes have been shut from the minute you pulled me onto you, love."

"I don't need to have my eyes open to see you Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" trying to pull away from her arms, but falling back against her tightened grip, Draco cocked a confused eyebrow. "Why aren't you calling me Draco?"

Hearing a throaty growl laced into her own chuckle, Wynter simply shook her head. "I may be imprinted to you Malfoy, and the Quileute shape-shifter blood in my veins may have me convinced that I'm in love with you, but I'm still myself. I still have my memories, and I still have my own thoughts. "

"Really, Morris?" he groaned, struggling against her grip. "Even when loving me is the only thing that will save your life, you're still going to fight it?"

She felt him resisting her. There was annoyance and a fire in his voice. He was pulling away from her, and with every pull he made, it tugged some of her with him. "Mal-" feeling a final tug from him that forced her out of his arms and crashing onto the ground, Wynter released a painful shriek of pain. Something was wrong with her.

"Morris!" shouting her surname, Draco jumped back to his feet, and ran over to the bedside. He didn't know what to do. Holding onto her abdomen in pain, Wynter was continuing to shriek. It sounded worse than when she was bitten. Reaching out for her, he gasped when he saw her eyes. "Morris, Morris! Dammit, Wynter, what the hell is happening to you?"

Realizing he didn't know what to do, Draco wrapped his arms tightly around Wynter and prayed to Merlin that apparating wouldn't harm the witch any more than she was already hurting. Shutting his eyes, he continued to plead with her to tell him what was wrong, until he heard shouts from all around him. Feeling arms tugging at him and voices demanding to know what happened, Draco opened his eyes. Allowing Hermione to pull him away from the screaming Wynter so that Sam and Billy could tend to her, he started explaining their conversation.

"She's dying," Billy realized once he heard Draco's explanation. There were tears in his eyes as he looked down at the pitiful girl he had come to admire.

"What?" struggling against Hermione, Draco didn't notice Harry and Ginny were trying to hold him back as well now too. "No! Morris!" he shouted, trying to call Wynter's attention, "Morris, wake up you stupid bint!"

Ignoring the tears in his eyes, Ron ran to the center of the room. Kneeling next to Sam who was trying to hold down the resisting girl, he saw that her body was jerking as if in pain. "Her eyes," he noted, looking up at Billy. "Why are her eyes black? And why is she bleeding?"

"Draco rejected her," Jacob replied, pulling Hermione into his arms, and telling Harry and Ginny to release the struggling wizard.

Nodding his head in agreement, Billy explained it to the vampires, witches, and wizards. "When Wynter explained to Draco that she still had her own mind and her own opinions, Draco pulled away from her. When he questioned her about it while pulling away from her, the shape-shifter blood in her saw it as him rejecting her. This is what happens when a mate rejects an imprint. It takes only an hour before they die."

"No!" not caring that he was forcing himself between the pack leader and a very irate Ronald Weasley, Draco pulled Wynter into his arms. "Dammit Morris, you stupid, stupid girl; I wasn't rejecting you. I told you that I loved you that day in sixth year. And I reminded you after the war, asking if we could talk about it. Why the bloody hell would I reject this imprint, when I've been trying to make you understand? So wake the hell up!"

Flying her hands to her mouth, Hermione gasped. It all made sense to her now; the reason why Wynter was acting odd for a couple days before they left for Forks, and why she tried her hardest to avoid Draco. "Malfoy."

Widening both of her eyes, Ginny suddenly had a frightening smirk on her face. "I knew it. The twins owe me thirty galleons."

"Come on!" holding the twitching and bleeding girl in his arms, Draco placed her head tightly against his chest and began to rock her in place. "Come on," he pleaded with her through gritted teeth. "Come on Morris. Wytner, please. Wake up. Stop convulsing, stop bleeding from your eyes, nose and mouth, and wake the hell up. I accept you! I accept being your mate. Just wake up! Come on Wynter, don't give in so easily. Fight this. If anyone can find a way out of this, it's you."

** Violet Hayes does not say anything back to Mr. Steenwilly because she has not seen his look; she is too busy trying to protect her jugular against the fangs of the monitor lizard. The lizard also does not reply to Mr. Steenwilly in words, but it does let loose with a furious **_**kee-waaa**_** that I believe is akin to the hunting call sounded by raptors when they've grounded pterodactyl, and begun moving in for the kill.**

** I cannot feel any sympathy for Violet Hayes, because my own moment of reckoning is nearly at hand. The tuba solo is approaching, swimming toward me though the composition like a hungry giant octopus.**

** There is nothing in the known universe that can save me now. Our school has thick walls, so it is unlikely an alien space-craft will be able to beam me up from this basement band room. Nor is our school likely to catch fire in the next seventeen seconds. Nor, am I sorry to report, are we in an earthquake zone. I am doomed. **(pg. 87-89)

"We just got another letter," Harry said, entering Jacob's room.

Placing her bookmark back into her book, Hermione pulled out from Jacob's arms. "Who is it from?" she asked, turning back to the sleeping figure on the bed and placing a kiss on his cheek before putting the book on his desk.

"Seamus," he replied, leading Hermione out of the room.

"Seamus?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. "What did he say?"

"It's better if you just read it for yourself."

_Harry,_

_ Tell Ron not to kill Malfoy. Obviously that ain't the brightest thing to do now is it? Especially not if killing Malfoy is going to kill Wynter, I mean blimey, is he really that daft? I'm glad I'm still in London right now though, especially when she wakes up. She ain't gonna be too happy when she hears that she was almost killed because of the ferret. Well anyways, about the Order and the DA…_

_ Remus was injured in an ambush. We managed to kill four of them, but three got away. Remus is still banged up pretty bad, but Fleur's helping him to heal. The rest of us got away with only scratches and bruises. Sirius isn't too happy about everything that's happening over in Forks seeing as how Hermione got imprinted and not only did Wynter get bitten and turned into a shape-shifter, but she's also imprinted on Malfoy, but thanks to Mrs. Weasley, he calmed down. Don't tell Hermione, but Sirius blamed Kreacher for all of this, and soon even the twins were taking pity on the poor little ugly thing. Dean and I caught them trying to knit scarves for the miserable little house-elf. Well anyways, we're going on another mission tonight. We got an owl from an anonymous source. We have a feeling on who we think it is, but we don't want to say anything until we know for sure._

_ At least me, Dean, Neville, Luna, Charlie, and Bill think we know who it is. No one else wants to believe us on it. But if we're right, then this could work in our favor. We'll owl you within the next week once everything gets settled. Owl us back once Wynter wakes up. All of the DA and half of the Order are betting she's going to kill Malfoy and just sacrifice herself in the process. Mr. Weasley's on our side._

_ -Seamus_

They were all seated around the Black's living room. Jacob was still sleeping in his room, and Hermione curled up on the couch between Harry, Ron, and Ginny. The vampires were all scattered throughout the area – minus Alice who still didn't return from her solo mission – and the pack members were all scattered as well. Draco was forced out of the spare room that Billy threw Wynter into, and he wasn't looking too good. It's been three days since the imprint took place, and he hasn't left her side yet. Not even to shower. There were a couple of times when Sam's girlfriend Emily would have to threaten him with Sam just to get him to eat something. He refused to leave Wynter's side, fearing that her body would go through convulsions again; thinking that he rejected her.

"I'm not that bloody stupid," Ron huffed out in annoyance, folding his arms over his chest. "Bloody Irish git; who the hell does Seamus think he is? Blimey, I'm not that daft to kill Malfoy now that I know Wynter's imprinted on him."

Scratching his forehead, Draco saw everyone was staring at him. "I think I might know who gave them a tip. And if I'm right, then it'll help us to win this war even more."

"Who do you think it is, Draco?" ever since Hermione learned that Wynter imprinted on Draco, she found herself calling some sort of silent truce with him. She knew firsthand how weird it was to be the mate to someone; the sensations that you get when you aren't near them and the worry that you have when they're gone for too long. She may have been with Jacob for only a couple of weeks, and Draco may have been with Wynter for only three days, but she could see it in his eyes. The guilt eating away at him; gnawing away in his mind, blaming him for her almost dying, and not waking up yet; it was evident in his eyes and on his face. Even Ginny pitied him.

Muttering to himself in a tone so low that even the vampires couldn't hear what he was saying, Draco heard everyone fall too silent. Looking up, he saw that all eyes were on him. "What?" playing back the conversation in his mind, he remembered Hermione's question. "Oh, right, erm… I'd rather not say it just yet. I want to be sure first."

"Emily's giving her a sponge-bath right now," Sam announced, watching Draco quickly jump to his feet. All of the wolves pitied the poor pale wizard. It was obvious enough that he loved Wynter from the moment they met him, and to him being the witch's imprinted mate was like a heaven sent gift, but so far she's only been conscience for half an hour within the past week. Draco was going through hell, watching his mate suffer, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was as if his love intensified when the imprint happened, and knowing that Wynter herself was going to try to fight it eventually… well it was starting to show in the wizard's features.

Nodding his head, Draco stayed in place, "I know. I wasn't going in there. I have a letter to write. Potter, I need the owl."

_Is it you? –D_

"Is it you?" Harry questioned, watching as Draco whispered into the owl's ears, before sending it out of the window. "Will they understand what you mean?"

Nodding his head, Draco took in a deep breath. "Yeah."

"And if the letter gets grabbed from someone else?"

"They won't understand it," he simply replied. His voice was so sure of himself that the vulnerability in his face looked out of place. "But I'm sure it won't be intercepted. I gave the owl precise directions on how to get it directly to each of them."

"Each of them?" Harry scratched one of his elbows. "You mean you suspect more than one of them?"

Nodding his head, Draco coughed. "I'm pretty sure it's two of them," he nodded his head. "And I'm also pretty sure that I'm completely right in who it is. And my guess is that I'm thinking about the same person as Finnigan."

Thinking about it for a second, Harry suddenly gasped. "The rumors were true then, weren't they?"

Smirking, Draco nodded his head. "You mean of one of the lions prowling around the snake's den? Yes, the rumors were true."

Draco watched her slowly drag the wet sponge over her face. This was something she did at least ten times a day. In the beginning, when she first tried to touch Wynter, he and Sam nearly killed each other. He didn't appreciate a woman that he'd never met before touching her, and Sam didn't appreciate his girlfriend being threatened by a wand. After nearly an hour of being calmed down, Sam finally relaxed and explained to Draco that Emily would never harm Wynter, and that she only wanted to clean her up and take care of her in ways that a doctor couldn't. Over the three days, Draco grew accustomed to the Indian woman's incessant humming while she got used to his watchful gaze. They became comfortable in each other's silent company; him knowing not to question her scarred face, and her knowing not to question his dark mark.

"You're starting to stink."

Smirking at the woman's sudden choice of conversation, Draco nodded his head, "I haven't showered yet."

"I know," she nodded her head. "Tell me Draco, do you think that when she wakes up, she's really going to want to have to smell you? A shape-shifter's scent is superb. So if you stink to me, just an ordinary human, imagine how intensified it will be to her."

"I'll shower once she wakes up."

Sighing, Emily shook her head. "Very well then; I cannot force you to shower Draco, but if that's the case then can you at least use your wand to clean yourself or something? I know that you guys have the ability to do that sort of thing."

"I would have figured, Emily," entered Emmet's joking baritone from the door, "That with all the years you've spent with Sam and the rest of the dogs that you would have been used to such a stinking smell by now."

Lightly laughing, Emily looked away from the still unconscious girl on the bed and up at Emmet. "They have more of a wet dog type of aroma to them," she winked in a playful way, "Whereas Draco here just stinks. He smells like sweat and dirt. And honestly, it's getting to be a bit nauseating."

Chuckling, Emmet shook his head then walked up to the bed. They all knew that Wynter was a shape-shifter once Sam explained it to them, but no one really wanted to believe it. It wasn't until six days before when she fell into a deep sleep because her shape-shifter blood assumed Draco was rejecting her though, that it actually dawned on them. Wynter was no longer just a muggle-born witch with blood ties to the darkest wizard to ever live. But she was now the first female to ever be bitten by a Quileute pack member and turn. To make matters worse, the one person who was sent to murder her, picked on her, had a hand in torturing her, and somewhere along the way fell in love with her, was the one that she became imprinted to. Billy and Carlisle talked it over, and they both came to an agreement that Wynter would move from the guestroom in the Cullen's home and over to one of Billy's daughters' old rooms. Now here she was. Six days after waking up, and still unconscious.

"How's she doing?" Emmet asked.

"Still sleeping," Emily sighed, turning all of her attention back into wiping the girl's face with the sponge. "She's starting to talk a little though."

"It's mostly nightmares," Draco frowned, trying to will Wynter to wake up. "Of what I did to her during the war, and back in school."

"It isn't your fault Draco," Emily tried to assure him, already knowing all of the stories; "You couldn't control what you did in those days. Your family was being held against you."

"And in the end, I still lost them."

"Draco," entering the room, Hermione and Jacob saw the sullen look on Draco's face, and the pity in Emily's face while Emmet showed no emotion. "Is everything alright?" Hermione quickly asked, moving her gaze onto her unconscious friend.

Nodding his head, Draco stood up and walked over to the happily imprinted couple. "What is it?" he asked them.

Thanking Emily once again for taking such good care of her friend, Hermione quickly kissed Jacob goodbye then grabbed Draco's hand and ran out of the room. Stopping in the living room, Draco gasped. Kneeling over a bleeding tanned girl was the Irish git he had spent most of his years hating and fighting with. He noticed the blood covering Seamus Finnigan's body while tears fell from his Shamrock colored eyes. All eyes were now closely watching Draco, waiting for his reaction. Slowly taking steps towards the two newcomers, Draco peeked over Seamus's hunched shoulders, and looked down. The sight caused his knees to buckle and he fell down. Lying there with her eyes shut was one of his only real friends; Pansy Parkinson.

**A/N: Since I can't **_**not**_** write, I decided on a new thing. I have really bad insomnia. Like I can't sleep at night, so I'm literally up all the way until 7 in the morning. Then I sleep until 12 in the afternoon, and stay up all the way until 7 in the morning again. In the hours that I'm wide awake, I'm usually hooked on tumblr or writing, so this is what I'm doing now… in all the nightly hours that I am wide awake, I am going to just write as much chapters as I can. Each night, I'm going to work on just one story then upload a new chapter. Hopefully this works out for me because it's keeping my mind extremely occupied. **

**Just push that little button and let me know what you guys think(: any ideas as to why Alice took off so suddenly? What about your thoughts on Wynter still trying to deny Draco and how her shape-shifter blood reacted to when he 'rejected' her? And Pansy? Who is the other person they suspect to be on their side? Hmm… **


	10. When A Lion Sleeps

When a Lion Sleeps

Another week flew by, and Draco realized he couldn't just sit around Wynter's bed all day, waiting for her to wake up. The war was coming soon and he had to be ready for it; trusting Emily to keep his mate safe, he stood in the center of the field that he hadn't seen in nearly two weeks. He watched silently; observing what the others had learned while he was wallowing in his depression. Rosalie had Ginny's wand in her hand, but Ginny had Jasper suspended in the air. Emmet had Hermione pinned to the ground with his fangs just skimming her throat; implicating that she just been killed. Cedric and Edward were running around Seamus; messing with his mind, making him nervous about which one was the wizard and which one was just a vampire. Carlisle and Esme were dueling against Harry and Seth while Embry attacked Quil.

They've gotten better, Draco realized. He scanned the area for Jacob and saw him bursting through the forest, running to protect his mate. That would be the worst part in the war. Jacob would focus more on protecting Hermione that he would ignore his surroundings. "Crucio!" Draco shouted, turning his wand on Jacob.

Hermione stopped struggling with Emmet as a pain shot through her heart. Hearing Jacob's scream, she turned her head to look at him; he was writhing around the ground in pain. "I just killed you," Emmet hissed, placing his hand on Hermione's throat and pressing down roughly. "You need to pay attention to your own fight, Hermione."

Hearing Emmet's words over Jacob's cries of pain, Draco released the curse, "Everyone, stop what you're doing," they all did as they were told. Draco may have been gone from them for nearly two weeks, but he was still their leader. And they would follow him blindly into this war if they had to. "Emmet just helped me prove a point."

Releasing her hand from Emmet's after he helped her up, Hermione ran across the field and pulled Jacob into her arms. "I'm sorry," was all she could say.

"Hermione and I are the weakest links," Jacob announced to the gathering group. "I was stalking you guys in the forest; scoping for the perfect moment to pounce and I saw Emmet press his fangs to Hermione's throat."

Hermione blushed, and continued to hold onto her shape-shifter; "Once I felt the ache in my heart, I forgot my own fight and turned my head to find him."

"I was watching all of you, and I saw Jacob run past everyone," Draco told them, spinning his wand in his fingers. "I could have been one of the enemies, and Jacob could have been killed."

"I killed Hermione once her head turned," Emmet announced, stepping alongside Draco.

Also stepping up, Jasper looked everyone in their eyes, "We need to step up our training. You're all getting stronger, but now you're getting sloppy; forgetting the tiny details. It was a tiny detail that just got Hermione killed, and Jacob tortured."

"So what do we do?" Bella asked, only now entering the battlefield. She had been spending the day in the forest; trying to get used to hunting on her own without the protection of Edward. It was part of her training as a newborn.

"Separate Jacob and Hermione."

Sam heard the growl from Jacob's throat and saw Hermione move in closer to him with a shocked look on her face. "It's the only way," he told his cub.

"But the link," Jacob snarled at his leader.

Sam shook his head, "You won't be separated all day, just during the training sessions. You have to learn to know when to run to each other's aide and when to ignore it and pay attention to your own fight. Once the enemies realize that you and Hermione are more concerned for each other than the war; you'll both be targeted and killed in seconds."

"Sam's right," Hermione slowly said, looking up at Jacob and seeing the hurt in his eyes. "I'm not rejecting you Jacob," she told him in a low voice so Draco couldn't hear her and feel more guilt than he already felt. "I love you, but they're right. We'll become the main targets once they learn you've imprinted on me."

Jacob took a moment to allow Hermione's words to sink in and he nodded his head. "For the rest of this week, we'll each take turns. Tomorrow I'll train while Hermione stays at home. Then the next day, she'll train and I'll stay home. Next week we'll see how training goes without us rushing to each other and getting killed."

"I'll take you to the mountains today," Sam told him. "And Hermione can go to my house with Emily. We're at the stage in our bond where we know what instincts to follow and which ones to ignore. We'll try to teach you."

"Is that possible?" Ginny asked, "To teach someone how to follow their bond?"

"I've never heard of it before," Sam admitted, "But we don't have enough time for them to learn on their own. There's no hurt in trying."

Draco watched the couple and felt an ache in his chest. He knew it wasn't from Wynter's emotions because she was still unconscious, but it was because Jacob and Hermione had each other while his mate was still unconscious. He envied the love they had; how they immediately fell in love whereas Wynter was disappointed with who her heart had chosen and nearly died when she thought he was rejecting her. It's been only five weeks since the wedding, and since Jacob and Hermione found each other. They had another six weeks to go before they're allowed to be away from each other for more than the twenty four hour limit with Jacob dying from the separation. It didn't help that they no longer had their seer with them to give pointers on the upcoming war or warn them on when it was approaching.

"Draco."

Turning to the voice that called his name, Draco saw Rosalie walking towards him. "She'll wake up," she told him, already knowing why he was distracted. "But you need to wake up too. What you told Dog Boy and Hermione goes for you as well. You're also imprinted. If you keep getting lost in your thoughts like this in the middle of the battle, we'll lose our leader. You need to focus."

Cat like eyes; the color of glistening emeralds in the sun watched her closely. Brown tanned colored hands gently wiped the soft cottoned cloth all along the lightly tanned forehead. A straw was pressed to the pale brown lips and with a sip; water was falling down her throat. She peered up into the already familiar chocolate brown eyes while a friendly smile embraced her. Flashing her own quick smile, her eyes quickly landed on the girl in the bed next to hers.

The sleeping lion looked more pained than peaceful. Sleeping in the same room as her, she often heard her crying out in her sleep; it showed in her face as well. Her twitching eyes worried her, but Emily promised her that it was alright. _Wynter was only having a nightmare_, she would always tell her, _but she'll wake up soon._ It's been only five days since she herself had woken up, but she knew to trust Emily. Emily was kind and warm; like a mother figure; always nurturing and taking care of them.

When she first woke up, she was frightened in the beginning, but she saw how she took care of Draco then Wynter. She didn't expect to have the older Indian woman take care of her as well – after all, no one took care of the Slytherins other than themselves – but after she was done fussing with the other two, she made her way to the new girl. Smiling down at her, she introduced herself and offered her food. It was after two attempts, that she realized she was having a difficult time with her fork. She tried to hide it, but Emily noticed anyways, and helped her out. Swallowing her pride, she allowed Emily to feed her. After her breakfast was completed, Emily kicked Draco out of the room and stripped her down. She was nervous at first, but soon relaxed; Emily was scrubbing her with a sponge. Once she was fresh smelling and all of her wounds were re-bandaged, Emily dressed her in a clean pair of knickers, sweat pants and a loose fitted undershirt that apparently belonged to one of the younger wolves. Not the knickers though – the vampire Rosalie went out and brought knickers for her to have while Emily took care of her.

Emily hummed while brushing her hair and even tied it back into a braid; just like she did with Wynter's hair. After making sure she was dressed properly and clean, she checked up on Wynter once more. Seeming satisfied with herself, she left the room. Only a minute went by before she returned with Seamus. After long minutes of crying and hugging, Emily cleared her throat and kindly asked Seamus if he could carry her over to the couch that Draco always slept on so she could clean the bed. Once the bed was made up with fresh linens, Seamus carried her back onto her bed and laid down beside her; all the while Emily had Draco do the same with Wynter so she could give her fresh linens as well. Through it all though, she was humming.

"What are you humming?" she asked, watching as Emily made her way back over to Wynter's bed and started brushing her hair.

"It's an old lullaby my mother used to sing to me as a child," she smiled again. "Whenever I would get scared or nervous about something, she would hold me in her arms and sing to me."

"Oh," fidgeting with her wand, she stared at the scar on her face. She knew it was rude, but she couldn't help it; growing up as the daughter of a Death Eater, you see a lot of scars, but Emily's scar wasn't one that she had seen before; at least not until she met Bill Weasley – their scars were identical. "Why do you hum it, Emily?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't overstepping her boundaries or insulting the woman she had grown attached to. "Are you nervous about something?"

Emily linked the thick auburn strands together, forming a braid on the sleeping girl's head and looked up at her. "Yes Pansy," she nodded her head. "I am. You are too young to be fighting a war. It worries me about the trials you have each faced and the consequences you guys are learning."

"Oh," Pansy looked back down at the wand in her lap. Once she woke up, Rosalie went out and brought her, her own clothes so she wouldn't have to keep borrowing from the wolves, and she brought things for Seamus as well. So she was now dressed in a comfortable beige colored dress that most girls would use only for a lazy day at home. Emily still wouldn't allow her out of the bed, so it wasn't as if she had to completely get dressed up just yet.

Emily sighed at the girl's unreadable expression. "I'm just scared that one of you is going to get really hurt," she told her. "I mean look at what happened so far: Wynter got bitten and turned into a shape-shifter then imprinted on Draco and nearly died because of it; she hasn't woken up in two weeks. And then you-"

"Me?" Pansy was still looking down at her wand. She was used to being blamed for things already. Look at what happened during the war; she shouted out that they should offer up Harry, and McGonagall trapped her in the dungeons with the rest of the Slytherins. If it wasn't for Draco coming in and setting them free, they all would have been killed. It wasn't that she wanted Harry to be killed, but she knew about the Horcruxes; she knew that Harry _had_ to be killed in order to defeat Voldemort. Plus she just wanted the war to hurry up and end so Seamus wouldn't have to fight.

"When Seamus apparated here with you," Emily started to explain, "We all thought Draco was going to die right then," Pansy finally met her eyes; they were shining with unshed tears. "I was the only one that he told of who he expected to be joining the Order, and I was scared for you. You are such a young girl; only eighteen years old and a Death Eater. He explained to me how you and Blaise are his only two true friends and how you both wrote to him that you were both forced to take the mark of death, even though Voldemort has been destroyed."

"They tortured us for a week straight before they gave us the mark against our wills," Pansy nodded her head, slow tears hitting the cursed mark embedded into her arm. "We wanted a way out, but we both figured that while we were with them we could learn some things to use to our advantage."

"Exactly," Emily nodded her head. "You're too young to be a spy. I admire your strength though; don't get me wrong. I just wish you didn't have to do the things you did."

"I killed my father," she said. The tears stopped suddenly; as if they didn't want to be spilt over the death of her only remaining parent. "He was the first person I've ever killed and I don't regret it. Blaise and I were sneaking out that night to meet with Seamus and the rest of the Order. He followed us, and attacked us. He had some of the other Death Eaters with him. He called me a disgrace and cursed me. Seamus jumped in and tried to protect me, but Blaise's father got to him instead. Soon there was a battle between everyone and my father was flying the killing curse at me from every angle. Thankfully Sirius was keeping a close eye on me and threw shields my way when I couldn't dodge them in time. I was only flying hexes and curses his way, but then I saw him turn on Lovegood. Lovegood wasn't even paying attention; she was too busy trying to fend off Pritt, and my curses weren't working. It was the first time I've ever uttered the killing curse. I heard Charlie Weasley shout my name right after that, but it was too late; by the time I turned around I felt as if I've been shot, and I blacked out."

"You did what you had to do," Emily said, brushing the tears off her own cheeks. "War forces us to have to choose to do things we normally promise ourselves we would never do. You saw that he was about to hurt an innocent child who had her back turned and you responded in a way that even the pope would."

"I don't regret it."

"You shouldn't," Emily assured the young girl. "You did nothing wrong."

"Do you think we'll win this war?" Pansy asked her, playing with the hem of her dress.

Emily stayed a silent for a couple of seconds then her face turned grim. "Of course you guys will win this war, Pansy. You're all strong; fighters, warriors; striving to protect the people you love and the strangers you'll never meet. And that's what scares me; you're all fighters and warriors."

Pansy understood what Emily was saying. Glancing over at the silent sleeping girl, she nodded her head, "You're scared that we'll lose our innocence; that we'll come out of this alive, but scarred and broken."

Also looking down at the girl who she had grown attached to, but hadn't properly been introduced to yet, Emily nodded her head with a saddened look on her face. "You're all already scarred. Even if it doesn't show on the skin, we can see it in your eyes; you're all carrying a burden that's slowly breaking you every day."

"What breaks us only makes us stronger."

Sighing, Emily met her eyes; "How much more strength can any of you take? And is it worth the price of loss innocence?"

Pansy allowed Emily's question to soak in and she slowly analyzed it. On the bed next to her, Wynter muttered out Draco's name and begged for him to stop; she was telling him that he was hurting her, and soon her eyelids were twitching again. Pansy stared at the taunting tattoo etched into her own skin; laughing at her, and reminding her of her past. She meant it when she said she didn't regret killing her father. Luna was a good person; a kind person, the type of person that could change the world in a good way. Her father was a cold man; embedded with evil and darkness. Luna belongs in the world; her father was just a plague that needed to be cured.

"We've already lost it," she said finally, slowly lifting her head to stare at Wynter instead of Emily. "Most of us were forced into this war, while others joined in; wanting to help. But just because we've all lost our innocence, doesn't mean we can't protect everyone else's innocence. If we don't fight this battle then another kid will become lost along the way."


	11. Womens Intuitions

**A/N: Sorry that took so long to update, but I got too caught up in reading this one story that literally took me a week to read all of the series that's posted up so far and my brother and I got caught up in catching up on Games Of Throne (kind of an awkward show to watch with your brother when all of it is about incest and whatnot, but still a good show) and I don't upload anything on Sunday's because it's a movie day for me and my brother, plus the Superbowl! Also I was helping one of my friends with a research paper for WCC and two of my best friends gave birth on Saturday (which is also my cousins birthday) and my cousin was in the hospital because he got mobbed while celebrating his birthday at a club so needless to say I was in the hospital all day. Sorry, I'm rambling now… here's the story you've been waiting for…(:**

Women's Intuition

**I do not like the tone of his voice. Nor do I appreciate being accused of dishonorable behavior by a convicted egg roll felon who saw nothing wrong with moving in on the girl of my dreams, when I clearly liked her first. "Did you or did you not tell me that all is fair in love and war?" I remind him. "Those are your very words."**

** "Then its war?" he asks. "Is that what you want? Okay, then, I declare war on you! Let the hostilities begin. **_**I will annihilate you, you dirt bag!"**_

** I am not afraid of Billy Beezer… **(pg. 96)

"She's having another nightmare again."

Marking the page of the book that she felt she would never be able to finish, Hermione put it on the couch next to her and looked up at Pansy – Pansy Parkinson; the snobby pureblooded princess of Slytherin who made sure she tormented Hermione every day for seven years straight – and she saw fear. Fear and hope. Glancing over at the moaning girl in the bed, Hermione nodded her head.

"She's remembering whatever happened between her and Draco."

Looking over at the girl she used to taunt, Pansy saw the tiredness in her eyes, "How are you feeling, Granger?" she asked her, "Is it getting easier for you?"

"I don't have the urge to apparate to the field anymore," she nodded her head. It seemed odd to her now; having her former enemy be concerned for her. "It's been only four days so far, but Sam seems to think this is for the best."

"It is. If the Death Eaters find out about the imprint, you would be their first target," shifting uncomfortably on the bed, Pansy scratched her elbows, "I mean, you're already a huge target; the muggle-born witch who helped to defeat the Dark Lord – your imprint would just make things easier on them."

Hermione nodded her head to show that she understood, "What do you think she's dreaming about?"

_Standing in one of the corridors that led up to the Astronomy Tower, she stared out the window. The sky was black tonight; there were no stars, no moon and not even the bristling wind to show that it was alive. There was a chill in the air, sending shivers up and down her spine; making her feel as if somebody were running their fingers down her back. The chill wasn't from the night's sky; it was a foreboding chill. The darkness was calling for someone; searching for their sacrifice. Someone was going to be killed tonight and it was only the first of many deaths to come. The war was starting tonight, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. _

_ "Morris!"  
>"I was wondering when you would come for me."<em>

_ Pausing in his steps, Draco watched her closely. She was tired; the bags beneath her dull colored eyes told him so. Taking in a closer look at his victim, he saw that she didn't look as cheery as she normally does. There was no hope in her voice, no bounce in her step as she turned to him, and even her hair reminded him of Granger. She was tired. And she was alone. "Where's your friends tonight, Morris?" he asked, cautiously looking around to make sure they weren't hiding anywhere._

_ "They aren't coming for me," she laughed; and this time it was Draco's turn to shudder from the coldness of it. "But it's not them that you're looking for, is it?" when he continued to stare at her, but didn't say anything, she shook her head, "No, I don't think they are. I think you're here for me."_

_ "I don't know what you're-"_

_ "Sure you do," she cut him off bitterly; "This is the part where you show me your dark mark isn't it? This is the part where you lift up your sleeve and show me the mark that you were so proud of last year, and you mock me for having filthy blood. I'm not daft, Malfoy; I know why you're here instead of watching to make sure the others are safely finding their way into the school."_

_ "I didn't want it," he told her; his voice thickened with something that neither teen could determine. Or they could, but neither wanted to admit it. "Severus came to me, Morris. He told me to join the Order – he told me they could help me," he waited for her to interrupt him and call him a liar, but she continued standing there; watching him intently, listening while holding her breath – half wishing it were true – "I didn't mean to attack Potter that day. He snuck up on me, and I acted on instinct."_

_ "It wasn't too late," he had to move in closer to her just to hear the whispered words, "You could have still came to us. We would have listened to you."_

_ Shaking his head, Draco slowly lifted his sleeve up. Wynter's gasp reached his ears and he met her eyes. Fear. Betrayal. Pain. Anguish. Guilt. So many emotions were staring back at him and his heart got caught in his throat, "I tried to walk away."_

_ "This is my fault," for a split second, she forgot that he was the enemy. She felt the tears gather at the corners of her eyes and she shook her head. Her eyes shifted to glance at the glistening tattoo embedded in his skin once more, and her voice was filled with guilt, "I'm sorry, Malfoy."_

_ He expected an assortment of reactions from her, but an apology wasn't one of them, "For what?"_

_ Moving away from him, Wynter saw him once more; a frightened sixteen year old boy seeking for approval. The dangerous fifteen year old boy who once cornered her and bragged about sharing this very mark with her was gone now. In his place stood a frightened sixteen year old. A year went by and he grew up, but seemed so much more innocent. He's seen so much war in the past year and lived the life of a retired soldier, but staring back at her was a vulnerable little child. "I should've-" thinking back to that first day that he made it known who she was, she rejected him and he beat her in return. He walked away and left her lying there in her own pool of blood. She thought back to that day, and she looked him in his eyes. "I should've followed you that day."_

Pansy and Hermione both sat in silence for a while; watching the girl on the bed. Emily returned to her own house for a while with a promise of returning in a couple of hours. Sitting in the silence, the former enemies both had all sorts of thoughts running through their minds. Hermione's fingers were absentmindedly fingering the pages of her book while Pansy absentmindedly played with the hem of her shirt. The princess of Gryffindor sat curled up on the couch while the princess of Slytherin held her knees to her chest on her own bed. For a brief second, caramel met emerald and the two girls both took in a deep breath.

"How long did Draco know?"

"The minute I returned back to the Slytherin common rooms," Pansy smiled softly, thinking back to that day. "I had just left Seamus, and I was grinning like a panther. Draco and Blaise were the only two in there, and before they could even ask; I was already telling them."

Smiling, Hermione tried to picture an ecstatic Parkinson at Hogwarts. It saddened her to think that she had never witnessed something as miraculous as that. "How did they react to that?"

"Blaise jumped up instantly and said he would kill him," seeing the fear in Hermione's eyes, she released a soft little laugh; something that Hermione had never heard from the girl before. "You have your boys and I have mine," Pansy reminded her. "You were the only girl in your little trio, Granger. I was the only girl in my own little trio. Blaise reacted the same way that I heard Weasley and Potter both reacted to Jacob imprinting on you."

Remembering the night when Ron and Harry both threatened Jacob and reminded him that Hermione would live even if he didn't, she released a low chuckle with heated cheeks. "They were only protecting their little sister. How did you manage to calm them down from killing Seamus?"

"No," Pansy shook her head. "I said Blaise jumped up to kill him."

"Oh," Hermione frowned. "What did Draco do?"

Lowering her voice as if to emphasize how secretive this is, Pansy leaned forward, causing Hermione to do the same although there was still an unconscious girl and an entire room separating them. "He gave me this blank look. Blaise was getting all worked up, and Draco only asked me if I was happy with Seamus asking me out. When I told him that I had a slight crush on Seamus for about a year, he stood up and with a calm voice, he told Blaise to leave Seamus alone. Walking over, he kissed my forehead and told me that he hoped I stayed happy. He told me to keep my innocence and to hold onto it."

"What?"

Painfully glancing at the still moaning girl, Pansy looked back up at Hermione. "Seamus asked me out in the middle of a war Granger; we've been back at Hogwarts for only three weeks into our seventh year and Draco wanted me to remember that even in the darkest of times we always have our brightest moments. He didn't want me to forget about that."

"When Wynter was going through her convulsions because she thought Draco rejected her, he shouted that he told her he loved her the night that Snape killed Dumbldore," Hermione whispered, suddenly remembering Draco's words that day.

Nodding her head, Pansy smiled. But it didn't reach her eyes; "He didn't tell us anything, but we could see it. He was hurting about something. You weren't in school last year, Granger," she told her with a strained voice. "But we all knew what was going on with you guys. Seamus kept me informed every time he heard something and I would tell Draco and Blaise. Blaise was concerned about everyone else, but Draco…" she chewed on her lower lip, trying to find the right words to describe his actions, "Draco only paid attention when Morris's name was mentioned. I never knew her, but the way his eyes lightened then darkened every time she was brought up… I knew. We knew."

"So you don't know what happened that night between them then?"

"If Draco doesn't want us to know anything, we're clueless."

"The same with Wynter," Hermione sighed. "Ginny suspects they've had sexual tension for a while now."

"Since the day he beat her up when she rejected his offer to become the Dark Princess?" Pansy questioned. When Hermione raised both her eyebrows, Pansy giggled into her hands – very uncharacterized like for any pureblooded princess – and she rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, Granger, don't tell me you didn't see it to? I mean we all saw it. Hell, even Nott saw it; why do you think Draco was always being extra harsh towards her? All the Slytherins could sense the heated passion in their fights and the lustful gaze in their glares; that's why the Dark Lord promised her, Draco. He heard the rumors that something was going on between them."

Hermione's eyes went wide and she only said, "Oh," how is someone supposed to respond to that?

"Can I tell you a secret?" Pansy asked her, and the beam in her eyes told Hermione that the girl had probably been dying to say this for a while.

Nodding her head, Hermione said, "Of course."

"You can't tell anyone, Granger."

"I'm not daft, Parkinson."

"Draco can't know that you know," she said eagerly. "Hell, he can't know that I know."

Nodding her head, Hermione realized whatever this secret is, it's pretty damned important. "I promise."

"I was there that day," she said, climbing out of her bed and running over to the couch, bouncing next to Hermione and leaning in closely so that no one could hear them. Hermione was so sure that with how soft she was speaking, none of the vampires would have been able to hear her even if they were sitting on the couch next to them, "When Draco got his mark."

Gasping, Hermione flew her hands to her mouth, "What?"

"The Dark Lord asked him if he was loyal to him and Draco told him he wasn't. After five minutes of being crucio'd, he asked him again. It continued until Narcissa was brought out."

"We know that part," Hermione nodded her head, "He only joined Voldemort because he threatened Narcissa's life."

"No," Pansy shook her head; her eyes as wide as Dobby's childlike orbs. "Draco didn't care when Narcissa was threatened. He only agreed to it when the Dark Lord threatened Morris's life. He threatened that he would first slowly kill everyone that Morris loved to isolate her then he would get her and he would torture her for months before forcing her to join him. That was the reason Draco became a Death Eater; it was to protect Morris."

Jacob was jittery. Hermione wasn't on the field, so he knew he didn't have to protect her, but he was still looking around for her. She was nowhere near him and it hurt him to have her so far away. He felt better than he did the past days they trained separately, but it was still a little painful for him; like he was missing a piece of his heart and it was slowly breaking him. Then his eyes landed on the blonde wizard who was in a duel with Seamus and Paul. Remembering how Draco had to go nearly three weeks without his mate, he felt a little better. It was wrong to feel better, but if Draco could survive it then he knew he would be able to as well.

_"Stupefy!"_ Seamus shouted.

Before the Irish boy could even finish his spell, Draco had already shouted; _"Imperio!"_

Seamus could feel his mind clear out. His face turned blank and his entire body relaxed. In the back of his mind, he could the nagging voice; _slap yourself._ Seamus fought it, and there was another nagging voice. This voice was louder, clearer, familiar. It was own Irish twang speaking in his mind; _that's a silly thing to do, _the inner battle continued for what seemed like hours in his mind, but was really only a couple of seconds; "No," he finally shouted, not bothering to lift his wand; _"Expelliarmus."_

Laughing as he watched his wand fly from his hand and into his former enemy turned somewhat brother-in-law's hands, Draco applauded, "Took you long enough, Finnigan."

Scowling, Seamus tossed the wand back to Draco, "You forgot 'bout something mate."

"What's that?"

"Me!" transforming with a growl before Draco could even turn around, Paul was already pinning the blonde Death Eater down and baring his teeth right above his neck.

Groaning, Draco shook his head, "Dammit."

"You almost got it," Ginny said, walking over to the trio and sending Paul into a tree with a flick of her wand, "You need to clear out your mind, Draco."

Nodding his head, Draco accepted her hand as she helped him to stand up. "Something's wrong with her today."

"What do you mean?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I don't know," Draco said. Sighing, he ran both hands through his hair.

Taking in the sight in front of her, Ginny released a soft sigh. He was nothing like the Draco Malfoy from school. He changed over the weeks that she spent with him; showing a side of him that none of them bothered to get to know or imagined existed. Instead of walking with his head held high, he was walking on egg shells. No longer was he the proud and arrogant prat, but more of a leader now; teaching soldiers to survive while slowly losing his own personal battles. She took to him like a friend now, somebody she wanted to protect, but she knew it was pointless. Those were demons that only he could see. She could wave her wand and whisper a spell, but only he himself would be the one to defeat it in the end. "Have you slept at all?" she finally asked.

He shook his head. "A little; I keep dreaming though."

"What do you dream about?"

Looking up into the concerned ocean colored eyes, Draco sighed. "The past mostly."

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked him, offering her shoulder for him to lean on.

Curling only one side of his lip into a half sneer and an awkward smirk, Draco finally settled on a tiny smile. "It's nothing I can't handle."

"You don't have to handle it on your own, you know."

"I know. Thanks Ginny, but I'm fine. I'm just mostly tired, you know."

"You need to sleep. You have to be rested up enough when this war comes. We don't know when it's coming, but when it does; we need to be prepared. You can't be tired in the middle of the battle. You won't last a second that way."

"I know," he let out an exasperated sigh, "I can't sleep though; not knowing that Wynter's-"

"Sleeping," Sam assured him, joining his and Ginny's conversation. "Wynter's only sleeping right now; something you should be doing too. If you're weak then she'll be weak as well. If you're strong, she'll be strong. When she wakes up, she'll feed off your emotions."

Ginny and Sam both exchanged worried looks at the sudden color lost in Draco's face. He was already pale so it wasn't much, but it made a difference as they watched the blood drain from his face. His eyes had a sudden glossy glazing to it, as if he was remembering a memory that he would have rather forgotten altogether. Gripping the wand in his hand so tight until he felt like it was about to break, and his knuckles were a powder white color, Draco stared into an absent distance.

_"Don't do that," Draco snarled at her._

_ "Don't do what?"_

_ "Don't make this about you," his eyes were filled with an insincere hatred towards her, confusing her with their contradictions. "Don't turn this into some pity party. Don't make it sound as if you wish you could save me. There's nothing left of me to save."_

_ "I don't believe that," she said, lowering her wand, and taking a step closer to him. "You're different this time Malfoy; I can see it in your eyes."_

_ "You see nothing," he hissed at her through clenched teeth; raising his wand and directing it at her, daring her to defend herself._

_ Chuckling, Wynter took another step towards him and smirked his own smirk. "Your words can lie as much as you'll allow them to, Malfoy, but your eyes will always tell the truth."_

_ "My eyes are cold."_

_ "Maybe," she took another step. "But not as cold as the rest of you."_

_ Cocking an eyebrow, Draco took another step back. "That doesn't make sense."_

_ "Of course it does," taking another step; she made no move to lift her wand in her own defense. _

_ Another step back, "What are you on about Morris?"_

_ "You still want out," another step forward._

_ Another step back, "If I didn't want to be one of them, I wouldn't have the mark."_

_ "It's funny how this night started with you claiming your innocence and ended with me trying to save it," another step forward._

_ Another step back. He hit a wall. "There's nothing for you to save."_

_ With just one simple step, their chests were connected; breathing to the same rhythm, a dance so melodic that neither of them wanted to break it. Hovering her lips above his ear, Wynter smirked. "That mark represents death, hatred, beings with no souls and merciless killers. You don't deserve something filled with so much hatred tainting your skin."_

_ Draco inhaled deeply and breathed in the berry scent that came from the girl pressing against him. "You don't know me."_

_ "No," she frowned, pulling slightly away from him so that their eyes could meet. "You're just the boy who cornered me one day and beat me up when I turned you down."_

_ "Exactly. I'm the boy who cornered you one day and beat you up when you turned me down."_

They were all standing around now; watching him as he stood in the center of it all, not once noticing that all of the attention was turned onto him. Frozen in his own memories, Draco tried to shake them away. He tried to forget that night; push it into the deepest depths of his memory, only allowing them out when he fell asleep. It wasn't usual that these thoughts haunted him while he was out in the middle of the day. He tried to push them out, forget everything. He didn't want to see the look on her face or remember the way she smelt as if she bathed in the sweetest of berries or the way her skin tasted as if she had been dancing in the rain.

_As quickly as the words escaped Draco's lips, Wynter released a surprised squeak of shock. Her eyes widened with delighted fear and Draco's hands had her wrists pinned up against the wall. From this new angle of theirs, Wynter could feel the hardened lines of his Quidditch playing chest pressing against her. Lowering her eyes from his steely gaze, she found herself staring at the tightening lines of his jaw. A taunting pink tip poked its way out from his dried lips and absentmindedly began to blanket them with a wetness that called to her._

_ "W-What are you doing?"_

_ Smirking at the thought that he had managed to have the bravest witch in all of history – at least in his mind – stuttering and frightened, Draco traced the side of her face with his pressed lips, pausing on her cheek and speaking against her so that she shuddered from the vibrations of his words; "Don't talk about things you don't understand."_

_ Wynter opened her mouth to tell him to shove off, or ask him what he meant. She opened her mouth to say something, but all thoughts left her mind and a gasp escaped in place of her forgotten words._

_ Draco moaned against her throat. His tongue was gliding along it and he tasted the rain. "Is it storming outside?"_

_ "Hmm?" Wynter tried to fight the administrations he was doing to her. At least if anyone asked her, she would tell them she tried to fight it, but in all honesty her knees gave in and she couldn't function properly._

_ Chuckling against her, Draco caught a piece of her skin between his teeth and began to lightly nibble on it. "You taste like rain," he told her, "Is it storming outside?"_

_ "I-I don't know," she admitted, giving into her bodies wishes and tilting her head back so that he could get an easier access to her neck._

Releasing a shout as he tried to fight against the rushing thoughts, Draco heard somebody shout his name from the sidelines, but they were too far away. One moment he was standing in a field and the next second he was on his knees, shouting up at a cloudless sky; screaming in agony at the hammering memories he was being forced to see again.

_Neither of them knew how it ended this way. One minute, Draco was searching for her to kill her and she was greeting her death like it was an old friend. Draco was shouting at her that he was innocent and he didn't ask for this life while she was reminding him that he had many chances to free himself from it. With a confused sentence, their arguments were reversed and Wynter was trying to convince him that he still had some good in him while he tried to warn her that he was just as heartless as the mark on his arm. Now he's pinning her against the wall; tasting her, familiarizing himself with her; all arguments forgotten. For this one moment they were just teens giving in to the passion of fear and hatred._

"NO!" Draco shouted, clawing at his hair with both his hands, trying to pull the thoughts out of his head if he had to. He didn't want to remember how his lips felt against hers or the way her body arched against his. He wanted to forget…

_A soft mewl escaped Wynter's lips and Draco was drawn to the sound. It was the most beautiful sound he's ever heard before, and he wanted to hear more of it. Abandoning the fresh misty taste of her skin, and the slightly forming bruise that his teeth had branded her throat with, his lips found hers. He pressed against it, and sighed in content; his tongue teased her lips, but she kept them tightly shut. Her eyes shut then opened then shut again and had to force themselves to remain open._

_ "Open for me," he growled against her. Chuckling, Wynter shook her head to deny him access and he bit down on her; collecting her bottom lip in his mouth and sucking on it. Wynter opened her mouth in response to release a sound that had his blood all rushing south and his tongue greedily found its way to greet hers. They fought for a dominance and in the end he let her win; allowing her tongue to take control of his mouth while just savoring taste. He didn't understand how one female could have so many separate scents and tastes. Her skin smelt like berries while her skin tasted like rain. Her lips tasted of chocolate and watermelon, but her mouth – her mouth… that tasted like pure sugar. It was a sweet high; threatening him with cavities, but he found himself not caring at all if he lost all of his teeth because of this one kiss. Her taste was so sweetly divine that he was more than fine with her controlling the kiss; praying that her taste got stuck in his own mouth._

_ "Draco," it was the first time she called out his first name and it drew out a gasp from him which ended up in her mouth. Grinning against his lips, Wynter tried to move her hands towards his hair, but it was pointless because he still had her wrists pinned above their heads. His knee was pressed between her legs and she didn't know whether he realized it or not, but every time he would lean in to deepen the kiss, he would press against her core, drawing more sounds from her and causing her body to arch towards his; trying to meet his every thrust._

"Parkinson, look," wiping the tears from her eyes, Hermione stood up and walked over to the bed.

Reaching where Hermione was standing, Pansy looked down in awe. Wynter stopped moaning and moved on to whimpering. She was thrashing against the bed now, and… "Are her eyelids fluttering?" she gasped.

_"You have to kill the girl!"_

_ Wynter released a soft whimper when he pulled away from her. She didn't have to reach up to feel her lips or bite down on it to know that her lips were swollen because she could feel it already. Panting in her place, she watched as Draco stared up at her with wide eyes. The fears in them were visible now, making the swollen and well snogged lips of his look so odd in comparison. She watched as he moved two of his fingers up to his lips, tracing them and trying to remind himself that it was real. There were so many emotions running through his mind, and it kept her in a hazy fog._

_ "I shouldn't have done that," Draco finally spoke up._

"Draco!" Ginny called out.

Wrapping his arms around his girlfriend's waist, Harry shook his head, "Ginny, leave him alone."

"He needs this right now," Sam told her.

"He's in pain," Quil shouted in disbelief.

_"What?"_

_ He almost broke down at the pain in her voice. It was then when he saw the hardened shell that she always wore was only a mask. For this one moment, she allowed herself to be vulnerable for him. He would only crack it. "Crucio!"_

Hermione knew enough about muggle hospitals to know that if Wynter was in one of them, she would be hooked up to a machine that could read her heart for all of them to see her progress. This would be the point when the machine would be beeping loudly and all the nurses would run in to shock her again with their pump things. Her eyes were fluttering and her hands were clenching at the sheets.

_"Expelliarmus!" Draco dodged her spell, the same moment she dodged his curse. He shot another curse at her and she shot another disarming spell._

Draco was holding onto the grass now, trying his hardest not to fall over from the rush of forgotten reminders.

_She just dodged another unforgivable curse and out of instinct, she flew her own curse at him. Draco had been anticipating it, but Wynter was better at this then he was; instead of leaping away from it, he jumped right into it. If you asked him about it, he would tell you that he was sloppy, but if you asked her, she would tell you that he wanted it to end already. She watched as he purposely jumped into the way of the spell. She wanted to lower her wand and her face wrinkled when she saw his eyes begin to pale while blood seeped from the slice forming on his ribs, but there was a crashing sound from above them._

Pansy and Hermione both jumped back in shock.

_"The Death Eaters are here."_

Draco stopped screaming in agony and fell to the ground in a pitiful faint.

_"Help us stop them."_

Pansy and Hermione were staring at each other.

_"I can't."_

Draco was silently sobbing into the grass.

_"We'll protect you."_

The thrashing stopped altogether.

_"He'll find me."_

Ginny cried along with him from a distance.

_"I'll protect you."_

There were no more sounds.

_"I won't let you."_

The only sound for miles was the breathing of the humans and shape-shifters.

_"Draco-"_

Rain colored eyes were staring up into caramel and emerald. Her breathing was even and her head was hurting. Her heart was aching and she jumped out of the bed.

_"One day, I'll fix this. I love you. Stupefy!"_


	12. The Moon's Story

**A/N: I know that Sam and Emily happened before Seth learned the truth about the pack and whatnot, but I decided to make him know the history of the pack and the truth about Sam to inspire Emily's story. And I know that Leah should be a part of the pack, but if you noticed… she's not anywhere in the story. I'm sorry, but I just don't like her. Sure, I feel sorry for her because she lost the love of her life and she's not imprinted on anyone, but in general –I just don't like her as a person. So I decided to not have her in here as a main character. Sorry for all of you Leah fans!**

The Moon's Story

Hermione and Pansy both fell back at the sudden movement from the bed. Wynter was lying on her back and blankly staring up at the ceiling then suddenly she was on her feet and a low growl was vibrating in her throat. Giving Pansy an odd look, she had her back turned to them and was out the door within a second. Hermione and Pansy only shared a quick glance before both widening their eyes and chasing after her; it was too late though – she was already gone from the house.

"Draco," Ginny softly whispered into the wind.

Grabbing onto his girlfriend's hand, Harry gave it a gentle squeeze. "He'll be okay, Gin."

"What just happened to him?" Seamus asked, looking over at the pack as if they should be the ones with the answers.

"He had a vision," Edward said, finally speaking. When everyone turned to look at him, they saw he was paler than normal, but had a flushed look at the same time. He seemed to be mixed between frightened and pained by what he just saw in the boy's mind. "His mind was open."

"Will he be alright?" asked Quil.

Jacob's head was suddenly turned towards the forest and his nose was flaring. "Hermione's scared about something," he announced to the group.

"What the hell is going on?" Rosalie wouldn't admit it, but she was scared about whatever was happening right now.

Nobody had the time to reply though; for once the question left her mouth, Wynter apparated right next to the sobbing Draco. Everyone was silent and Jacob released a soft sigh of relief – at least now he knew why his mate was scared. Draco's noises stopped once he felt the familiar arms around him and he allowed himself to sink into the warm comfort that she was offering him. Carlisle gave Sam a worried look which the alpha male only returned. Neither of them heard of something like this before – a bond being so strong that the mate's distress was able to wake the shape-shifter out of a deep coma. It was not only rare, but never heard of.

"What happened?" Draco asked Wynter; his face resting against her breasts.

Resting her chin on Draco's head, Wynter shook her head. "I was dreaming of that night before the Astronomy tower and then you called to me. Something was wrong and your cry woke me up."

"I-I-" he tried to remember the events that led up to this, but he was as confused as everyone else. "We were training then I suddenly thought back to that night to, but this time was different – it was stronger and it sort of knocked me down. I felt like I couldn't breathe and the impact of the memory took me by force."

"It doesn't matter," she told him. "You're okay now."

"I didn't reject you," he whispered. "I would never reject you."

"I know," she whispered back. Lifting her head up, she found herself staring at all of her watching friends. Some of them were smiling at her and looking reassured, but she didn't return any of their eager looks. "I think I was the one who rejected you."

Freshly showered and dressed in the comfort of her own grey sweat pants and a light pink baby tee, Wynter allowed the wetness of her hair to press against her face. She was sitting cross legged on the bed that she woke up in and processing everything that Draco told her. Apparently she had been unconscious for three weeks, and Pansy was on their side now along with Blaise. Blaise was working back home with the Order, but Seamus and Pansy came here. According to what Ginny told her; Pansy protected Luna by killing her own father and when Seamus brought her here, she was nearly dead. Bella was a vampire now, and Jacob and Hermione were training to fight without having to constantly protect one another.

She was tugging at her hair in a frustrated way when an Indian woman walked into her room. At least Billy told her that this was her room. Now that she was awake; Pansy and Seamus would be moving in with the Cullens so that she and Draco could have their own privacy. It helped to know that Harry and Ron would have more company from back home with them now. "Hello," the woman smiled at her.

"Hullo," she smiled back. "You must be Emily; Hermione and Ginny were telling me all about you. Thank you for taking care of me."

"It was nothing," Emily blushed. "I'm glad to finally meet you, properly."

Chuckling, Wynter nodded her head. "I suppose I wasn't the best of company while being asleep."

"It's alright," she chuckled back. "You were polite enough."

Wynter chewed on her bottom lip and twirled a strand of her hair. She watched as Emily walked around the room, gathering her own belongings. After a minute's hesitation, she sighed. "Emily?"

"Yes?" the woman kept her back to the witch, but the smile in her voice showed that she had a feeling what Wynter was contemplating on asking.

"I don't mean to be rude," she told her. "But that scar on your face-"

"Yes," she nodded her head, turning around this time to show Wynter that she wasn't annoyed. "Sam was dating my cousin," she explained to her. "Seth's sister, Leah-"

"You're Seth's cousin?"

"Mhmm," she smiled. "Second cousins, really."

"And he has a sister? Where is she?"

Emily frowned now, and Wynter felt guilty for making the kind woman who took care of her depressed. "She left after Sam imprinted on me," she told her. "Leah and I were the best of friends while growing up, but when we were thirteen; I moved away. Sam and Leah began dating when we were sixteen and they were in love. I moved back one summer when we were twenty, and Sam imprinted on me."

Wynter gasped. She knew that no one could control who they imprinted on – hell look at her and Draco – but she didn't know that imprinting could often ruin relationships. "Poor Leah."

"Exactly," Emily sighed. "Sam broke up with her, and came for me, but I was disgusted with him. I mean how could he turn away my cousin like that then expect me to just fall in love with him?"

Wynter frowned now as she tried to think about it, "You-you rejected him?"

"Not necessarily," Emily shook her head. "I didn't know what he was or that he was imprinted on me. All I knew was that he was a jerk who broke my cousin's heart and expected me to be okay with all of that. Every day, he would bring me flowers and try to charm me, but I always threw the flowers away and ignored him. Then," she sighed and shook her head again. "Leah decided she had enough of everything and she moved away. Seth tried to explain the situation to her, but she wouldn't listen to him. She blamed me for everything and left. Seth felt guilty because I didn't know why Sam did what he did and he knew how hurt I was for my cousin leaving me like that. He began to hang out with me all the time. In the end I became friends with all of them."

"So she still doesn't know anything then?" she asked her, curiously.

"Nope, she doesn't even call her brother or answer his calls. He still tries to contact her, you know, but it's been eight years already."

Wynter frowned again when she saw the remorse in her new friend's eyes. "It isn't your fault Emily."

"I know," she sighed. "One night we were hanging out," Emily chuckled now and Wynter realized that she just wanted to forget all about Leah. "On the beach, and this guy approached me. There was loud music and a bonfire going on and he asked me if I wanted to dance. This was four months after Sam approached me, and with one quick glance at Sam who was talking to another one of the older boys from the tribe, I smiled and nodded my head. As soon as he grabbed my hand though, Sam lost it."

"He phased," Wynter realized with widened eyes, then gasped. "He phased right there on the beach."

Emily nodded her head. "I was standing too close to him and he couldn't control himself. He scratched me and I had to be hospitalized. Of course though, it was Doctor Cullen who nursed me back to health as to not raise any suspicions about what attacked me. Sam still hasn't forgiven himself for it."

"What happened after that?" she asked. "I mean, with Sam."

"He wouldn't come near me for days," she rolled her eyes. "It wasn't until I drove myself to his house and forced myself inside that I made him tell me the truth. Once he told me everything though, I forgave him."

"He scarred you and you forgave him just like that?" Wynter asked, bewildered.

"He didn't mean to," Emily explained. "When you become a shape-shifter, a lot of things are going to trigger your anger and most of the time you can't control what you do. Once I learned that, I knew that he never meant to hurt me. He wouldn't have purposely done this to me, Wynter. I forgave him and I accepted the imprint. We've been together ever since."

Wynter nodded her head to show that she understood what she meant. Sam didn't purposely phase into a wolf then scar Emily's face; he was jealous that she accepted to dance with someone who wasn't him and he couldn't control his anger in time. He phased when he didn't want to and in the process, the person standing the closest to him was the one who got hurt. It just so happened to be Emily. It wasn't anything like Draco. He purposely hurt her; permanently scarring her, not because he wanted to, but because he was told to. In some ways, he did want to, at least he did in the beginning, but then towards the end of it, he changed his mind. It didn't matter that he changed his mind though because once he was told to hurt her, he did it without hesitation. Sam didn't have a choice when he scarred Emily; Draco did.

"Will I hurt Malfoy?"

Emily quirked her entire head at the unsuspected question. "What do you mean?"

"Like how Sam hurt you," Wynter lowered her voice. "Will I become so upset by something that I lose my control and phase too close to him? Is it possible for me to hurt him?"

"Anything is possible," she nodded her head. "Our actions are controlled by our hearts and our minds. Sometimes we cannot control any of the three; they are instead controlled by each other. Sam's mind registered what I did and his heart felt it while his body acted out on it."

"I don't want to love him."

"Because of how badly he hurt you in the past," Emily smiled slyly. "He stayed in here by your side every day, unless he was out training. He told me everything."

"I don't want to be imprinted to him either."

"But you cannot control it; you tried to reject him and you nearly died because of it, Wynter."

"I don't get it," Wynter said suddenly. The innocence on her face clashed with the hardness of a grown woman whose seen war in her eyes and Emily felt as if she were looking into a mirror. "I did reject him. I pulled away from him and I didn't accept it. So why am I alive now?"

Emily thought it over; contemplating the many reasons that could explain it, but there weren't many reasons. She wasn't even sure if there was one. "I don't know," she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders, "But maybe… if you were able to survive it, it means that you truly didn't reject him. Like I said, Wynter, your actions are controlled by your hearts and mind. Your mind rejected him, but your heart fought it and in the end; your body reacted – first it broke down while your heart and mind battled then it decided to wake up."

"I heard him," she said with a tilt of her head. "I heard him crying. Something was hurting him and he was alone. He was crying and I heard him. Then I woke up."

"It seems," Emily smiled, "That in the end; your heart was able to control your mind. You acted on impulse and instead of hurting him, you chose to save him."

**We pass Mr. Steenwilly, who is sitting ten bleachers up, with his arm around a pleasant looking woman with long red hair and striking green eyes. She must be Mrs. Steenwilly. He sees Gloria and me pass by, smiles broadly, waves and points us out to Mrs. Steenwilly.**

** I know exactly what you are thinking, Mr. Steenwilly. You believe that we are kindred spirits. You feel you understand me, and that just as you have apparently persuaded some lovely lady that Arthur Flemingham Steenwilly is a keeper, I have now done the same with Glory Hallelujah. You feel that I am therefore a successful chip off the old Steenwilly, and that thought evidently gives you pleasure.**

** But the truth, Mr. Steenwilly, is that you don't know me from Adam, whoever he is. You don't know me at all. And the only thing I will tell you about myself, Mr. Steenwilly is that we really have absolutely nothing in common. You are a talented man, cut out for great things, who is temporarily on a doomed crusade to bring light to our anti-school.**

** And I am a shipwreck survivor, clinging to a raft that is slowly disintegrating while hungry sharks swim in circles beneath me and starfish ring dinner bells with each of their five arms. So why don't you turn back to Mrs. Steenwilly and peer into her striking green eyes and stop waving and staring at me with that big, goofy smile running parallel to the thin mustache on your face. **(pg. 120-121)

"Babe," Jacob appeared at the bedroom door and chuckled when he saw Hermione curled up on their shared bed and reading the same book that she always took out when she had some quiet time to herself. It hardly lasted though; she always only got one or two pages in a day. Sometimes, not even that much. "Dad told me to call you for dinner."

Nodding her head, Hermione marked the page once more than placed the book on the tiny stand next to the bed. "I'm starting to see more of Wynter in him," she said.

"Who?"

"The boy in the book," she explained, tying her hair back into a ponytail to keep the curls out of her face.

Walking into the room, Jacob wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and stared into her eyes. "The one who says odd things and believes that everything is anti- what it really is," when Hermione nodded her head in response, he quirked an eyebrow. "How do you get that?"

"John lost his only two best friends," she started to explain to him. "That's his name… the boy – his name is John. Well anyways, he lost his two best friends because he's taking the most popular girl in school out to a basketball game and now he's alone. The man who is soon to marry his mum beats him, and John has no one to turn to. Wynter had no one then one day; the school's bad boy prince notices her and approaches her, but she still has enough good in her to stay away and turn his offer down. Along the way she becomes friends with his enemies and finds her way. But her way is lost again when she learns who she is and realizes that she's wanted more than Harry is. She won the war, but lost so many people along the way, and she pulled away from us because she knew that we feared her. She lost all of her friends because of something that we should be congratulating her for."

"She didn't lose you guys completely," Jacob shook his head, pressing his lips to her hair. "She still has you guys. You guys made up or whatever it is that you guys are doing now. She has all of us as well and the vampires. Wynter isn't alone and she has many friends – friends who are real and want to help her prove the good that she still has in her. Is Draco her Glory Hallelujah person?" he asked.

Nodding her head, Hermione sighed then shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I think so. We lost her Jacob – we lost her the night that Dumbledore was killed. And now we know that we lost her to Draco. Edward won't tell us what he saw in Draco's mind earlier, but we know that whatever happened that night, Wynter lost her friends because she fell in love with the wrong person."

"Is that what you still think?" Jacob asked, pulling away so that he could get a better look at her. "That he's still the wrong person for her; that he's still the bad guy? Hermione, look around… Wynter imprinted on Draco – a shape-shifter only imprints on the person that they're meant to be with. It's like when a Veela finds their mate in your world. Draco is the only person who will ever be right for Wynter," sighing, he began to scratch at his hair. "You all pulled away from her, Hermione, you all left her alone and made her believe that she was the bad guy. Draco stuck by her side and pushed her until she realized she was _still _the good guy. He reminded her that he was the bad one and that she fought on the right side of the war. Draco has never left her side since the first day he cornered her in the hall, and now… now that she's imprinted on him; it only proves how _right _he is for her."

"I know," she slowly nodded her head. Refusing to cry or even make a sniffling sound, Hermione stared up at Jacob. He seemed like he was mad, but he seemed calm at the same time, and she was ashamed of herself. She knew that Draco was on their side now and she knew that Wynter would be safe with him, but a part of her couldn't let go of their past. While Wynter was unconscious, she took a close liking to Draco and supported him because in a way they were in the same shoes, but now that Wynter was awake again, she kept thinking back to Hogwarts. Draco didn't hurt only Wynter – he hurt all of them. "John has this one teacher, his music teacher, Mr. Steenwilly, and John sees the good in him. John believes that he himself is destined to go nowhere, but only praises Mr. Steenwilly."

"And you believe that Wynter doesn't praise herself enough, but instead gives all the credit to Harry?" Jacob questioned.

"She likes to give Harry the credit for the war and everything else, but I don't think she looks up to Harry." Hermione shook her head. She knew that Wynter didn't give herself any credit – anyone could see that – but she didn't think of Harry. "Mr. Steenwilly is always encouraging John and letting him know that he isn't alone.

"Who does she look up to then?"

"That's the thing," the sadness swept over Hermione once more and Jacob felt compelled to hold her in his arms. Running his hands through her hair, he made a shushing sound to let her know that everything would be alright. "She doesn't have a Mr. Steenwilly."

"No," Jacob assured her. "She does; she has Draco."

Billy sat at the head of the table with two teens on each side of him. Hermione and Jacob sat next to each other with Wynter and Draco sitting across from them. When Hermione and his son left their room, he could see that something was tense between them. He knew that they were having a serious talk and whatever it was about had them both still looking stressed about something. Wynter and Draco were the complete opposite from the serious looking couple. Draco kept stealing quick glances at Wynter as if trying to make sure that she wouldn't disappear on him and Wynter kept a sullen gaze on her plate; lost in her thoughts about something.

"How is the steak, Wynter?" Billy asked, trying to make a small conversation. This was the first time he saw Draco sitting at the table since Wynter's coma.

Blinking as she stared down at the reddened steak with a light trickle of blood oozing out from it, Wynter poked at the baked potato next to it then looked up at Billy. "It's fine," she told him, "Thank you."

Looking from his own raw steak and over at Wynter's, Jacob smiled; "You get used to the rawness of it after a while."

"You must be hungry," Hermione announced, cutting into her own well-done steak.

Glancing at Draco who also didn't seem to be touching his food, Wynter forced a smile onto her face. "Mhmm, starving."

"I know it's a lot to take in," Jacob told her. "One day, you're just listening to the tales of the old tribe and observing from the sidelines then suddenly you wake up and you're phasing alongside everyone else, but once you get used to it, it isn't all that bad."

"I'm sorry," Wynter sighed, pushing her plate away. "I need air."

"I'll go with you," looking glad to have an excuse to not have to eat his own perfectly cooked steak, Draco jumped up.

"No," she shook her head. "I-I-"  
>Hermione was the one who caught the uncertain look that Wynter chanced at Jacob, and she nudged her boyfriend with her elbow. "Draco, why don't you eat something for once now that you know Wynter is alright, and Jacob can go walking with her?"<p>

Draco wanted to protest, but then he saw the relieved look on Wynter's face and the way she tugged at her own shirt. "Alright," he nodded his head with a stern look in his eyes. He caught on as well.

"I'll put your plates in the oven," Billy told them.

"Thanks Billy," Wynter smiled as Jacob also thanked his dad then followed her out.

It was a silent walk. Jacob didn't say anything as he followed Wynter through the forest. He didn't question how she knew where she was going, but she seemed to have a good sense of the trails. He was curious about it, but he didn't question it. Wynter allowed her hair to fly all around her while leading Jacob towards a tiny stream that she knew led up towards a rock cliff. She saw this path in a dream once; it was one of the nights that she couldn't wake up and she saw someone walking this very path. They were leading her this way, taking her to the one place that she would be able to feel free. She couldn't remember much about the person in her dream; whether they were male or female, human or shape-shifter, friend or foe – she knew nothing about them, but they led her down a rocky path and she blindly followed them; much like Jacob followed her now.

Jacob was confused when he saw where she brought him. This was a cliff that the old Quileute tribe Elders used to come to, to bathe when they needed strength. There was a stream that led to a closed off lake that no one came to anymore. Wynter sat on the ledge of the cliff and pulled her knees up to her chest, allowing Jacob to cautiously take a seat next to her. Looking up at the sky, she saw that the moon was full and her thoughts fell on her old professor and she frowned for him.

"It isn't fair," she said suddenly; the anger in her voice breaking into the serenity of this sacred place.

"What isn't fair?" Jacob questioned, turning to look at her and seeing that her concentration was forced upon the taunting moon.

"Remus is a good person," she told him. "He's a kind person who has never hurt anyone before in his life; he always puts his family first and never thinks of himself, yet right now, he's in pain and out of his mind. Because of the curse that Greyback placed on him – he's a victim to the very poisonous beauty that's staring down at us right now, and he's chained up just to ensure that he isn't harming his wife, son or any of his friends. Before I became a witch," Wynter told Draco, not taking her eyes off the moon, "I used to sit in my backyard with my back against our tree and stare up at the moon. I used to think it was the most beautiful thing in the world. I used to admire the way it lit up the sky and I always believed that if you followed it's light, it would lead you down the right path to wherever you're supposed to go. Then I met Remus."

Jacob squinted his eyes and stared up at the moon. "I always just thought she was beautiful."

"She is," Wynter nodded her head. "But only on the outside. I think that's how she does it; she calls to the unsuspecting victims like a Sirens song – using her beauty to lure people to her. And the wolves are poor fools searching for acceptance in a world where they're feared and she calls to them; turning them into slaves for three nights a month – calling in her debt for accepting them. For three nights a month, she owns them and they do her bidding. Her beauty is her weapon while she hides her poison inside of her heart; leaking it out to the poor souls who become weakened by the darkness she plants inside of them."

Jacob looked away from the moon quickly; scared to fall victim to her poison. "Wow," he breathed out, "I don't think I've ever heard anyone criticize the moon before."

"She seduces them," Wynter whispered. "She sings her song and lights her path for them to follow her, but she leads them astray. She pulls them away from the ones who love them and she pulls them deeper into the dark; just like a Siren, she calls to them, promising them things that she doesn't intend on fulfilling only to lead them to a painful death. But she's worse than a Siren. Do you know how?"

"No."

"A Siren's song will eventually lead a man to his own death, but the moon… her beauty, her song… well, she leads them down a never ending path; forcing them to hurt and kill everyone in their path. She isolates them from the ones who love them, making them think they're alone. The moon is a dangerous woman, Jacob."

"I'm starting to see that," he whispered.

"Remus is the strongest man I've ever met," she admitted to him. "In the day time at least; he holds his head high and doesn't allow us to see how much he fears her, but once her time comes he weakens. It hurts me to see the strongest man I know being so weak by something so beautiful. And it isn't fair. It isn't fair that he has to suffer a poisonous game while I can stare at the very moon that weakens him and remain in my human state. Our curse is related – cousins to a moon's curse, but I'm able to restrain the urge to phase. I'm still human while he's a monster lost in his own dark urges."

Jacob sat there, listening to Wynter praise Remus Lupin while cursing the moon. "That's deep, Wynter."

"They say the moon is a woman who lost her lover," she continued as if not hearing him speaking to her, and Jacob turned all his attention to her. "There are many myths and tales throughout the world about the moon and the sun, but I've always believed that she was a woman – a woman who was in love with a man. She was beautiful; her hair was black like the night sky and her eyes were the color of the stars, with porcelain skin. The man was a pale man with eyes as brightly blue as the morning light and hair as yellow as the flames of a fire. She loved him deeply, but he never looked at her. She followed him everywhere; trying to get him to love her, but he never gave her a second look; always chasing the other women, and tossing her away. One day he asked her why she followed him and she told him that she loved him, but he only laughed at her, for she was a woman with beauty and how could someone that beautiful ever know what love was. See, I believe that she was once as beautiful on the inside as the outside, but he laughed at her and pushed her away again-"

"I've never heard this version before," Jacob interrupted, thinking back to all the moon and sun legends that he's heard before. It was popular belief that the moon was a woman who lost her lover, but this version was new to him.

"Of course not," a hardened smile played at Wynter's lips. "This is my story," she continued, "-she wouldn't give up though. She loved him that's why, and you don't give up on the one you love. It took years, but then he finally agreed to give her a chance. It took another year, but he finally allowed himself to open up to her, but once he did, something happened."

"What was it?"

"His eyes wandered," she frowned. "He loved her, but he wanted to test himself –he wanted to know if what he felt was truly love, for he had never loved anyone before and he wanted to be sure of what he felt. So he went to another woman and he made love to her. The moon found out and she was saddened; the anger in her began to rage until soon it became too much for her to consume. The beautiful woman began to fade away until soon her hair blanketed the sky, darkening it with her long strands while the coloring of her eyes began to trickle away with each tear and started to sparkle in the new sky. Her skin became a coat; shielding her heart from the pain that it was undergoing – forming a circle of the most beautiful thing that anyone had ever seen before."

"What happened to the man?"

"The day darkened and he looked up. He saw that his lover was no longer a woman; but now the moon. He was saddened by what he had seen – a beauty so tragic that everyone wanted to own, but was too far out of reach. It was then when he realized that her beauty was deeper than only her skin. He became the sun; his hair becoming the actual sun while his eyes became the sky and his skin became the clouds. He thought he would join her, but instead he became day while she became night. She tainted the dark with her beauty while he tainted the light with his harsh-burning rays. He spends all his time chasing her the way she once chased him; always only catching a glimpse of her as they switch for the moment. She became so broken by what he did to her that she now curses other people. She allowed her pain to poison her and now she's as dark as the night she shines against. She hurts men the way that she was once hurt by one of them. And the sun," Wynter sighed, "He spends his time blanketing the victims that she hurts because of him. It's the moon who lost her love, but it's the sun that spends all of eternity with regret and the reminder of what he caused."

Jacob sat there in silence. He refused to look at the moon in fear of what she would do to him. The moon had powers that he had never understood before and Wynter's story made sense to him; drawing tears from his eyes as he thought back to a woman becoming broken by a man then taking it out on everyone else. Looking up at Wynter, he saw the understanding in her moon reflected eyes and he felt a tug on his heart while something inside of him clenched. Wynter saw herself in the moon – she saw herself as a broken down girl who would one day give in to the poison churning inside of her, and hurt everyone who loved her. For the first time, Jacob saw a side of Wynter that he was sure no one had ever witnessed before. She was scared; scared and weak. She didn't believe in herself and she wanted to give up. He could see it as he watched her stare up at the moon; it was like she was silently praying for an answer. Not an answer as to how to beat everything, but the answer to becoming nothing more than a shining orb in the sky. Wynter didn't want to fight anymore – she wanted to learn how to give in to the poison inside of her and just take the easy way out for once.

Silent tears pooled at the corner of Jacob's eyes. Hermione made it known to him that all of them often feared Wynter, and that they all lost her because they foolishly gave up on her without meaning to, and Wynter knew it. In Wynter's mind, she was alone in this war. He could try to prove to her that he and the rest of the pack would always be there for her, but this was a trust issue. Wynter was used to being abandoned by people who promised to always be there for her, and now that she wanted to give up… he didn't know what to do.

Wynter spent so much time listening to other people convincing her that she was dangerous and would one day stand on the enemies' side of the war, and he could see it her eyes tonight; just like the moon that was beautiful but tainted by the darkness of hatred –Wynter was contemplating in making everyone's words become true.

After all… she was only following the moon's light.

**Disclaimer: The book that I keep having Hermione read throughout the entire story is still; You Don't Know Me by David Klass. If you haven't read it before, I truly recommend that you do; it's quite brilliant really(: -I hope you guys don't mind the random pages that Hermione reads throughout this story, but in the end it fits in perfectly!**

**2cd Disclaimer: The moon and sun story is mines! I know that there are many sun and moon legends out there about the sun being a man and the moon being a woman and how they lost their love and became the moon and sun and whatnot, but this story was created entirely by my own mind. I know it doesn't matter much, but I'm honestly just proud of what I came up with at 1 in the morning, hours after my friend's funeral, so I just wanted it out there(: **

**Review please! I just noticed how philosophical this is starting to become… I didn't intend for it to be that way, but honestly? I'm in love with it. I looked over this story and I realized that it turned out differently than how I originally planned for it to be, but I love it this way more than how I wanted it to be at first and I promise you guys would be more pleased with this way to(: so please tell me what you guys think of this chapter and of how the stories turning out so far! Is it what you guys thought it would be? –Better? Worse? Let me know(:**


	13. One Day She Would Tell Him

**I'm sorry this took so long. It's just that a lot of things have been going on in my life right now and it's crazy. I hardly had time to write to begin with and when I did have time, I found myself getting too involved in one of my other stories and then something happened where I couldn't write for a week because I needed to just take time to myself. I didn't realize that it's been 3 weeks since I last updated this story. I feel as if I've neglected some of my stories and focused more on just my new one. Please forgive me? It's been 3-4 weeks since I uploaded most of them and I'm trying to fix all of that for now. I vented in that story on why it's taking me long to write and I won't do that to you guys, but please understand that this isn't normally me. The longest I normally wait to upload has always been a week. 9 days tops, not nearly 3 weeks. **

**There is also currently a storm over here. We actually have hail. For those of you who don't know – I live on Oahu, we don't have hail – but now we do. Hail is new to us and very quite exciting (no one got hurt yet because of it *knock on wood*) there are tornado warnings, and floods (I mean we are actually swimming on our streets or tying surfboards to the back of our trucks and surfing in the middle of the road as our friends drive) and now we have hail. I've been getting most of my writing done during this storm and I'm trying to catch up on all of my stories. Please forgive me?**

_**Warning: This is the shortest chapter that I had ever written in my life and I hate chapters that are this short, but this also the most serious chapter that I had ever written (and I write about anorexia, actual rape scenes, suicide and abuse) and I personally think that this gives just a little more insight into Draco and Wynter! This chapter may seem harsh to some while others won't think that a warning is necessary. I cried while writing this chapter and some of you may even cry while reading it. I'm sorry to make you wait for nearly a month for such a short chapter, but in my mind it's worth it!**_

One Day She Would Tell Him

The kitchen light was the only thing still awake by the time Wynter and Jacob returned home. Neither of them really felt hungry anymore so they both said goodnight and went into their separate rooms. Jacob was welcomed with the sprawled out hair of the love of his life on his pillows as she curled up underneath their blanket on _his_ side of the bed. Jacob didn't have to pull the blanket away to know that Hermione was also sleeping in one of his t-shirts. Throwing off his t-shirt and not bothering to care where it landed, he quietly climbed in next to the sleeping girl and pulled her into his arms. Resting his head in the crook of her neck, he fell asleep. The moon was already forgotten.

Wynter stood by her door. It was now shut, and she was trapped in a darkened room, separated from the rest of the house. Her own mate was lying on his back in the center of their – she would never get used to calling it that – bed and he was shirtless. The blanket was thrown onto the floor and she could see that he was having a peaceful sleep. She didn't know what made it so peaceful though – the idea that his mate was now woken up and perfectly alive or the fact that he could sense she was now in the room with him even in his sleep? Both options unsettled her either way. Sighing, she took in a deep breath and walked over to him.

This wasn't the first time she'd slept in a bed with him. They had helped each other with their nightmares after the war, by sleeping next to each other, and even though she loudly argued with Draco and pretended to hate him sneaking into her bed a couple of times while they were living with the Cullens, Wynter was relieved to be back in his arms those few nights as well. She tried to tell herself that it was the idea of sleeping next to anyone that relieved her, and she didn't care who it was, but she knew that wasn't true. There was just something about Draco… something between them that frightened the hell out of her, but made her feel safe enough to just shut her eyes while listening to his heartbeat. Not only did he keep her nightmares away, but he also protected her from her own personal problems. There was only thing wrong with that whole situation though – he was the main problem that she was often trying to escape.

The bed slightly shifted and she was on her side. She watched Draco as he peacefully slept, wondering if he was really sleeping or only pretending for her benefit. There were so many things in her life that Wynter regretted and Draco was the number one thing on that list. He was also incorporated into the many other items on the list:

She regretted the day that everyone realized she existed – it was Draco who forced her out from the shadows that she comfortably blended in with.

She regretted the day that she picked up her wand and flew Harry Potter across the room during a DA meeting – if Draco hadn't cornered her to try and persuade her to become a Death Eater, she never would have joined the DA and they would have never learned how powerful she truly was.

She regretted Voldemort knowing about her – Draco was the one who bragged that she had the ability to overpower Hermione Granger in all of their classes.

She regretted allowing Draco to get into her mind while she should have been paying attention during the battle at the Ministry which resulted in many injuries on their parts.

She regretted not killing Draco in the beginning of the sixth year when Harry insisted that he had become a Death Eater. Of course she knew the truth of the accusation, and she was the only one who believed it. She only knew though because Draco boasted about it to her, thinking that she would become impressed and jump to join his side at the table.

She regretted letting Draco inside of her head the night that Dumbledore was killed and letting him kiss her.

She regretted letting him slip away that night.

She regretted that night that she slipped away during the Horcrux hunt to meet with him without her friend's knowing, only to be caught the next day and taken to Malfoy Manor where he partook in her torturing.

She regretted watching him hurt her.

She regretted not killing him the first chance that she had.

She regretted turning him away.

Wynter tensed. She was confused. Those weren't normal regrets. Every single one of her regrets did actually involve him. She promised herself that she wouldn't think about the night that she answered his owl and met him in the forest, she promised herself that that night had only been a dream and wasn't real. She promised herself that she would erase that night from her memory. Yet here she was… thinking back to that night as one of her regrets. She shuddered.

What was it about that night that she regretted – allowing him to take her virginity under the moonlit night and the dulled out stars or did she regret not running away with him when he begged her to escape out of London with him that night so that they could elope and not worry about the pressures of their sides of the war anymore? Which time did she regret turning him away? Was it the first time that he cornered her to join the Death Eaters? Was it the time in the halls that he cornered her after class, asking if she could help him study for their potions final? Did she regret turning him away when he asked her to accompany him into Hogsmeade during their first month in sixth year or did she regret turning him away the night of the Astronomy tower when she should have held onto him and refused to let him leave her side like his eyes silently begged her to do so? What was it that she regretted turning him away for? Was it the owl that she never returned when he asked her to meet him in the Room of Requirements, was it the letter that she never opened as he slyly dropped it on her desk one day in class, was it the bite of his apple that he offered her one morning in the library when she missed out on breakfast to study and he heard her stomach growling, or could it have been that time that she dropped her quill in the corridors one afternoon while running to the common rooms because she forgot her homework and he picked it up for her, but she sneered at him and kept on running? When was it? When the hell did she regret turning him away?

Draco shifted in his sleep and his body turned onto its side to face her. Wynter watched as his head snuggled in deeply against the pillow she woke up from her coma using, as if he were trying to live off of her scent alone. Wynter continued to stay motionless, just watching the boy sleeping next to her. Maybe she regretted the day he offered his hand for her to shake when she went to Diagon Alley for the first time with her mum and they met each other in the ice cream shop? Wynter felt something stirring inside of her and she tried to calm it. She was confused. She had questions that neither her mind, memory, nor heart could answer for her.

When the bloody hell was it? She tried to remember all the many times that she had turned him away. Maybe it was the Christmas present that he sent to her in their sixth year that she sent back to him unopened or even the simple chocolate frog that she put back when he put in the _one_ knut that she had been short. She shook her head. No… she couldn't deeply regret something as minor as that. Her thoughts flew back to the night in the manor and she shuddered again. It could be possible that she regretted the way she fought beneath him while Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters forced him to rape her while under the Imperius curse. It was a memory that even Draco didn't have because his own father obliviated it from his mind once the deed was finished. Maybe she regretted cowering away from him when he tried to heal her wounds only three minutes before Cedric came to her rescue; he didn't know that the curses he inflicted on her wasn't the worse pain he had caused her that day and he would never know.

Silent wet tears fell from her eyes as she tried to force herself to stop thinking anymore. She would never know the exact moment that she started to regret turning Draco away because if they all popped into her mind, it could mean only one thing… she simply just regretted turning him away.

Not wanting to feel alone anymore and needing the warmth of Draco's body to soothe her, Wynter scooted closer to him until her chest was pressed against his awkwardly positioned arms. Lifting one arm up, Wynter scooted even closer into him, letting the arm drop back down so that she was currently wrapped up in his arms. She moved her hand so that she could touch his face and she softly smiled.

"Wynter?" he opened his sleep filled eyes and curiously looked at her. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm just thinking," she whispered.

"About?"

Glad to feel Draco wriggling his body to make sure that not even air could come between them, Wynter settled her face into his chest. "Things that I regret."

Draco's entire body stiffened. "Do you regret that night?" he asked her.

"Which night?" she questioned, her head already pounding from his simple question that it had just spent the last half hour trying to answer.

Draco chuckled into her hair. "Which night," he softly repeated with a sigh. It was true. There were many nights between them. "That night in the forest," he heard her sigh and felt her nodding head. "Which part?" he asked. "Which part do you regret? Do you regret what we did or do you regret not running away with me?"

"I don't know," she admitted.

That was the end of their conversation. Draco was soon softly snoring back into her hair, scared to question anything else in case he didn't like the truth and Wynter's mind was on overload once more. She maneuvered her head so that she could stare into his face once more. One day she would tell him. One day she would tell him the true reason that she avoids his touch or tries her hardest to avoid being alone with him except for when it's time to sleep. One day she would shatter what little innocence he has left in him with the truth, but for now she would let him wonder.

She wasn't keeping it from him for selfish reasons of course, but she felt that he would be better off always wondering why she hated him than knowing the actual reason. Wynter knew that Draco didn't want to hurt her the way that he did; she knew that he was being _Imperiused_ to do it, but it wasn't only that. He promised her something the night before. He promised her that he would never hurt her and that he would never let anyone come between them. He promised that he would fight by her side in the war and they could be happy together after they won. But he was wrong.

People did come between them and they did worse than that; they used him to be the one who caused her actual pain. Draco did fight with them in the war in the shadows, but they weren't happy after the war. He found her and tried to hold her in his arms, but she pulled away. They won the war, but they weren't happy together.

They were forced into this imprint and it excited Draco, but Wynter didn't know how to react to it. Some part of her was ecstatic about the idea of not having to explain to everyone on why she was dating Draco Malfoy and just keep using the imprint as an excuse, but then the stronger part of her remembered all his broken promises to her on the night that she gave her innocence to him only to have it shattered the next day.

Wynter feared and hated Draco just as much as she once used to love him, and he had no idea. The imprint would fix whatever broken things were between them, but it wouldn't fix her and the worst part was that Draco didn't know why.

She would tell him one day. After the upcoming war has been won, she would show him her memories and they could hopefully work on fixing her, together. She saw the moon's light shining on his face through the window and she shuddered. Draco felt the shudder and instinctively pulled her in closer to him.

One of two things was bound to happen: they would win the war or she would fall victim to the darkness within her and she would lose the battle. Draco began to trace her back with his fingers as he snuggled his face into her hair and she softly smiled.

One day she would tell him.

**So? How do you like? Please tell me! I really want to know what all of you think about how this story is starting to turn out!**


	14. Scars

**I'm late once again. And it's most likely going to be like this for a while. I'm babysitting my friend's 2 daughters. One is 6 weeks and the other is 2 years old. The 2 year old is teething and has a high fever and the baby is just really fussy. I have them for 14 hours a day while my friends at work. (She walks half an hour to the bus stop every morning then catches the bus to me. Then it takes 2 busses from my house to her job and the 2 busses again to come here after work to pick them up then either my mom or brother will drive them home afterwards.)The only days I won't have the girls are Tuesdays and Fridays. So those will be the only days that I'll be able to try and get any writing done. No promises though because I'm also involved in CPS with my own nieces and we have inspections and meetings and court cases coming up again because it's been the one year mark. So… please bear with me.**

Scars

Hermione was confused. Once again, she was left at home while Jacob went out to the field to train with everyone else. It's been an entire week since they started training separately and most of her anxieties were gone at this point. Curled up in bed with a pair of Jacob's sweats and one of his old t-shirts on, Hermione decided to catch up on some more of her reading. It's been exactly forty days since Wynter loaned her this book and they came out to Forks, nearly six weeks of being away from the wizarding world, and nearly six weeks of reading this book – and she was nowhere near completing it. Usually, Hermione couldn't get far with it because every time she would get only a couple pages in, somebody would come and interrupt her. Today there were no interruptions – Emily went back home, Billy was fishing with Charlie, Draco was catching up on his sleep, Wynter was with Sam, and everyone else was training. There was nobody there to interrupt her; she had successfully been reading for an hour, but she couldn't seem to make it past these two bloody pages.

Wynter approached her that morning with a bunch of book in her hands. She overheard Hermione complaining to Sirius the night before about not having any good books in his family's library so she offered her a collection of books. In the beginning, Hermione had always been used to being the brains of the group, so she envied Wynter for being brighter than her. Wynter tried convincing her that she didn't want to be smart and that she didn't want to have the highest marks in Hogwarts, but it wasn't until they got their O.W.L's back at the end of the year and Hermione saw that Wynter got A's in all of their classes, that Hermione realized Wynter didn't want to be known as the brightest-witch-of-their-age, and she no longer felt any sort of jealousy towards her. After deciding that Wynter wasn't trying to steal her place in the golden trio, Hermione decided to give Wynter a chance, and she learned that like herself, Wynter had a passion for reading.

It was that reason why Hermione chose this particular book to read. Wynter held it up and admitted that Hermione may not like it, but she loved it. This one book was apparently her favorite book of all time, and Hermione could tell by the battered cover and the wrinkled pages that Wynter loved to read it as much as she could. She had been honored that her friend would offer this treasure to her, and she also felt that it could help her get an insight to her friend's mind – maybe she could learn a little more about the cutoff, Wynter Morris. As she continued to read it, Hermione found herself more and more drawn to the world of John and the life of Wynter; she saw why Wynter loved this book, but now she was just confused. She landed on these particular two pages – highlighted and faded as if Wynter rubbed her finger along the words, drilling it into her mind until it became a mantra for more than just her mind. Hermione had silent tears as she read it.

If a normal person were to read these pages then they would only become even more annoyed with Glory Hallelujah and maybe even pity John, but the faded yellow coloring on the wrinkled and worn out page showed Hermione that Wynter not only pitied the poor boy, but she also felt some sort of connection with him. Hermione cried for two reasons: one, because she too, compared Wynter to John many times, and second, because Wynter, herself, felt a connection to the confusing and broken boy.

Her eyes darted across the page, her fingers retracing an ink-written path that Wynter also seemed to follow many times over.

**Everyone is trying to climb over everyone else. Inspired by some self-preservation instinct that perhaps inherited from an ancestral earthworm in my very distant evolutionary past, I drop to my knees, then to my stomach, and actually see light and space down there. I grab Gloria's hand. "This way. Crawl…"**

** We slither on our stomachs beneath the churning mass of bodies, to the end of a bleacher, and slide down a metal support to the gym floor. We are still not out of the woods, so to speak, for – in a misguided attempt at crowd control – the police have completely sealed off the exits to out anti-school gym and are advancing in riot formation down every stairway.**

** Out of the corner of my eye, I see a rather beefy policeman dragging Billy Beezer away by the scruff of his neck. It is, I believe, the very same policeman who arrested Billy at the Bay View Mall. "This time we're going to throw away the key," I hear him growl.**

** "I don't want to get arrested," Gloria wails. "Do something, you idiot!" Apparently, in her excitement, she has bestowed "idiot" on me as what is no doubt meant as an endearing nickname.**

** I lead her underneath the bleachers.**

** It is a dark space, latticed with dark metal pillars and wires, with hanging ropes and spiderwebs and faded streamers from proms years gone by. Above us echo the thunderous sounds of the riot.**

** This is, in fact, not the first time that I have taken refuge beneath the bleachers. On occasion, to escape a particularly onerous and competitive gym class, I have slipped away beneath these very same bleachers. So I happen to know that there is a small and rarely used door in the back that leads to a supply room that leads to a janitor's closet that ultimately emerges into the boys' locker room. **

** Within two minutes, Gloria and I have made a successful escape, and we are walking away from our anti-school with the few lucky survivors of the battle royal in the gym. **(pg. 127-128)

"He runs from his battles," jumping in fright, Hermione jerked her head up and saw Wynter standing at the foot of the bed. "John," Wynter told Hermione. "He runs. The coppers all showed up at the gym because Toby started a fight with the other school's mascot and he escaped. He knew the perfect escape route because it's what he does – he runs from his battles."

Hermione didn't know how she was supposed to respond to that. Just exactly how long had Wynter been standing there and watching her read the highlighted words over and over again?

"Well…" Wynter had a longing look on her face, a look of remorse and deep thought. "Not always. I guess he knows when to stay and fight them, but it doesn't always work out the way he hopes to. The one battle that he does stay around and fight, he would much rather run out on. John doesn't like confrontations, he would much rather run away than stay still and fight back."

"Not everyone likes to fight," Hermione said softly. "It doesn't make you a coward. Having an escape route planned out is brilliant, and it makes you even stronger."

"How does running out on a fight make you stronger?"

"Because in the end, you're one of the ones walking out of the battle alive. Just like how Gloria and John walked out of the anti-school; they may have ran away, but they survived."

Wynter lightly chuckled and shook her head. "Running away doesn't make you stronger, Hermione. In order to become stronger, you need to stand up and fight. Running away gives in to your weakness, and shields you from harm. The only way to call yourself a true survivor is by sticking back and fighting. If you walk out without so much a battle scar, whether it's emotional or physical, then you aren't a survivor, you're just a weak person with a brilliant mind."

"So you think John is a coward?" Hermione was confused at this point. Why would Wynter highlight this particular excerpt if she thought of John as a coward? Wynter was nowhere near a coward – she didn't run from the war and she didn't sneak out through the back door? John and Wynter were similar, but… Hermione shook her head. She was too confused to even think properly. Did Wynter consider herself a coward? "You think that he's a coward because he chose to run instead of stay back and fight in the riot?"

"John is not a coward," Wynter's eyes narrowed and her usually calm tone became a little harsh. "I'm not saying that at all. I'm merely just correcting you. Running away from a battle doesn't make you strong, it admits your weakness. Just because John ran away from the school's riot doesn't mean he's not strong. He chooses to run away from confrontations and he has an escape route because he fights a battle every day. Why should he have to stick around and fight minor little fights when he needs his strength to survive the main war every night? He isn't a survivor because he escaped the gym; he's a bloody survivor because he escapes his own home every morning."

"Wynter, I didn't mean-"

"You did," the agitated girl said, cutting her off. "Never deny your words or your feelings, Hermione. What you _think_, what you _say_, what you _do_ – it's what makes you who you are. Our thoughts, our words, our actions – it's what fuels us for our own battles; whether we're on the dark side or the light's side, it's what pushes us to fight. Some of us, like John, choose to walk away from the fight because they want to. You meant to assume that I thought he was a coward, just like you mean to think that I'm just like John. In some ways, I am, and in some ways we are nothing alike. But it's nothing more or less than me and you being alike or me being similar to Sam or even Ginny. We all have characteristics that link us to someone else, characteristics that we aren't proud of, and we often try to hide. Some of us are heroic and others choose to hide when the time best suits them. Just like you, Hermione – you're no different than Malfoy."

Hermione gawked. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She was used to Wynter saying logical things that often made your mind process what she meant for weeks, until one day you're sitting down for dinner and it suddenly clicks in a month later. But she wasn't prepared for this. "I am nothing like Malfoy," she defended herself.

"You hated me because I was smarter than you – you have to be the best at everything and when you learned that I was _choosing _to get lower grades than you, you absolutely hated me for it. You hate the idea of competition and you hate anyone who has a chance at being better than you. That sounds like a Malfoy trait to me," Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Wynter cut her off. "And you judge people before you know them. You believed the media's lies about Sirius wanting to kill Harry and even after he proved himself innocent, you still didn't trust him. You refuse to believe that Pettigrew had some good left in him even after he hesitated in killing Harry, and in turn got himself killed by his own silver hand that day in Malfoy Manor. You are no different than Malfoy or any other pureblooded bigot – you judge before thinking."

Hermione marked the page where she was and put the book down on the bed. "Wynter, I-"

"Don't apologize," Wynter said a firm voice. "Don't regret your thoughts or actions, Hermione. Like I said – we all have characteristics that we aren't proud of and we're all similar in some way."

"I still think you're like John," Hermione said after a long and awkward silence. "You may not have your own personal escape route, but you're still like him."

Wynter nodded her head. "Like I said – in some ways I am, and in some ways, I'm not."

With a curt nod, Wynter turned and left the room, leaving Hermione to brood in her own thoughts. Was she really that judgmental? Was her expression really that open for Wynter to know how she truly felt about her or did Wynter finally reach her breaking point and not know who to trust anymore? Hermione's head was pounding. Did they push Wynter to that limit where she had to search the minds of her friends just to make sure they still trusted her? Had they truly isolated Wynter into thinking that she was alone once again and she had no one besides her own forced imprint to turn to? Lying back down in bed, Hermione curled her knees to her chest. What has she done? Or more so – what hadn't she done? Wynter needed friends, not allies. Wynter needed to know that the people fighting alongside her in the upcoming battle would always be by her side, that they needed her and wanted her around even when their lives weren't at stake. If Wynter didn't know that she had true friends, then she would give up the fight. Just like how John ran out of the gym.

Draco heard the door shut, and the rush of mangos reached his nose causing him to smile to himself. It's been three days since Wynter woke up from her practical three week coma and he found himself sleeping through most of the time. Once the imprint went through and Wynter wouldn't wake up, Draco found it impossible to sleep at all. He would try to, but he would wake up through the night and drag his arse through the day. Once his heart knew that Wynter was awake and alive though, his body shut down and he was finally able to catch up on his sleep. Wynter would wake up in the mornings and leave him, so that she could work with Sam and the rest of the pack members, but she would return to him every hour. They were both still new to the whole imprint thing and although Wynter could resist the urge to cling to him every second of the day, she could sense the fear and uneasiness in Draco, so she would rush to his side, allowing him to know that she was alright.

Draco was somewhat rested enough today, but he still lounged around in bed, just enjoying the warmth of Wynter's pillow and the dent from where she sleeps. She leaves him in the mornings, but once again she returns to his arms every night. Opening his eyes, he saw her slipping on a pair of red knickers underneath the plush black towel. "You're feeling better then?" she asked, keeping her back to him.

Chuckling, Draco rolled over onto his back and continued to watch as Wynter got dressed beneath the towel. She was now hooking on a blue colored bra. "A little bit. I think my sleep schedule should be back to normal in only two days."

Keeping her back to Draco, but allowing the towel to drop to the floor while she readjusted her bra, Wynter heard the sharp gasp from behind her. "You knew I had scars."

"But I wasn't expecting it to be this bad," Draco exclaimed. Pushing the blanket off his body, he crawled his way over to the edge of the bed, where he knelt on his knees. He reached out and began to trace the lines with his fingertip. "Is it all from that day?"

Wynter shivered at his touch. "Yes."

Draco growled. He knew that they damaged her, but he hadn't known the wounds turned out this badly. Since the day after he moved into Grimmauld Place with them, he saw Wynter walking around in her strapless dresses and shirts, with her tiny shorts, but he hadn't seen her scars. Well, he saw some of them, only on the very top of her back though, and they didn't look this bad. Now, standing in front of him in only a pair of red knickers and a blue bra though, Draco was able to see the true damage of what they did. Of what _he_ did. He did this, and he felt the pain of his torture. He didn't know he hurt her this badly – no wonder she avoided him.

Water dripped from Wynter's slightly damp auburn curls, landing on his arm. He could feel her shuddering at his gentle touch, but there was no time for him to be turned on by the sight of it. Draco traced his index finger along one of the whip markings that he knew was caused by him. It started at the back of her neck and ran all along her slender back, stopping just an inch above the top of her knickers. His fingers slowly traced each line caused from the blow of a whip, and each claw mark from Greyback. It was a miracle that she hadn't turned into slave of the moon from all the times that she had been clawed at, but like Bill, she had only been scarred from it because it wasn't a full moon during the time of the attack. Unlike Bill's though, it had been on her back instead of her face, but Draco had a sense that knowing Wynter, she would much rather bare just one claw mark on her face, scarring her for the world to see, versus marking up her back completely.

Two days before Seamus arrived with the nearly dead Pansy, Bill sent them all a letter. He believed that it was the fact that Greyback's venom was still inside of Wynter's bloodstream when Seth bit Wynter, and that was what triggered the curse. After combining that explanation with Sam's belief that the venom in Seth's blood sensed the warrior in Wynter and bit her, they all came to the conclusion that Wynter was just meant to be unlucky. First she finds out she's a muggle-born witch and a bright one at that, then she turns out to be Voldemort's niece by muggle blood and she learns that she's wanted by his army. She survives hours of never-ending torture and gets werewolf venom in her blood, always craving red meat, but never actually becoming a victim of the moon and now… well, now she was the first female to ever be bitten by a Quileute shape-shifter and turn into one, as well as being the only person with magical blood to be bitten and only the fifth person ever to become a shape-shifter through just a bite. Add in the fact that her imprint is the one person she hates the most in the world that tortured her for years then literally tortured her for hours (giving her most of the scars on her body), and had bi-polar tendencies to love her between all the torturing.

Billy read Bill's letter and he and Sam began owling him on an hourly basis until they came up with a conclusion that everyone was excited for. There was a higher chance that Wynter would survive this. In the beginning, the tribe Elders all believed and feared that with the strength of her magical powers mixed into the new strength and venom from the wolf, this upcoming battle would be the final straw to push Wynter over the edge and kill her. But now, they believed that maybe… just maybe, with the combined wolf and shape-shifter venoms, Wynter would be able to survive this. The two separate venoms could possibly merge together and balance everything out. Seeing as how Greyback was a werewolf with wizard abilities, his wizard blood may also help to balance out Wynter's witch blood. The two venoms and the two magical bloods' inside of her overpowered the human/muggle side and there was a higher chance that it wouldn't kill her. This was the first time that the wizarding community and the Elder tribe members have ever seen such a thing like this, but it was possible – Wynter could live.

"I'm fine," Wynter said, pulling away from Draco's lingering touch, not noticing that he was lost in his own thoughts.

Jerking back to reality, Draco watched as Wynter pulled on a pair of blue jean shorts and turned to face him. "Your stomach," he noted.

Wynter nodded her head. "Greyback was holding onto me while you whipped me after a while."

"I'm sorry."

"You said that."

"Because I mean it," he told her. Watching Wynter's face as she slipped on a black colored shirt with weird designs on it, Draco stared into her eyes, pleading with them to believe him.

Not bothering to brush her hair, Wynter just gathered it all into a sloppy bun then started towards the door, "Harry wanted to talk to me about something. Go back to sleep Malfoy, I want to start training again tonight."

"You can't be serious. You just woke up three days ago from a three week coma. Your body won't be able to handle it."

"Or my body will be immune to it," she pointed out. "I have wolf venom in me now; I am a Quileute shape-shifter now, Malfoy."

"Sam them are all wolves to, but even they aren't immune to the curses."

"Well they don't all have witch blood in them," she reminded him.

"Have Potter or Weasley do it then," Draco shook his head, climbing off the bed completely at this point. "I won't do it anymore."

Wynter stopped walking and turned to face him. "It has to be you."

"Why?" he asked her. "This isn't fair, Morris and you bloody well know it isn't. You knew how I felt about you when you first asked me to do this and like a bloody idiot, I gave in, but I won't do it again. I won't train the curses with you anymore."

"We've only been practicing one curse," she rolled her eyes. "And like I said, it has to be you, Malfoy."

"Why?" stepping forward until his face was hovered right above hers, Draco noticed with satisfaction that Wynter at least had the sense to take a step back. He suspected it was more so to do with the fact that he was wearing only boxers and she was uncomfortable around him in such a state more than her being afraid of him, but still… she stepped back. "Why does it have to be me?"

"Because…"

Draco scowled when he heard Wynter trail off while chewing on her bottom lip. "Because, why?"

"Because it just has to."

"That isn't an answer, Morris," Wynter remained silent and she didn't falter under Draco's hard glare, causing him to sigh. "Wynter, please, have someone else do it. I can't stand to watch you be in anymore pain. And now that I've seen your scars… please… don't make me do this."

Draco watched as Wynter refused to budge. Sighing once more, he pinched the bridge of his nose. He turned around; giving up on what he realized was a lost cause. He begged Wynter lots of times and each time he never got the result that he wanted. In the end she always got her way. He was just about to move away from her when he heard a tiny voice reach his ears. It was a voice that he's heard only once before. The same voice that she used when she admitted her fear of being alone, the same night she crawled into his bed and slept in his arms for the very first time. "Because it hurts more when it's you."

"Alright," Draco said, afraid to turn around and allow the pain in face to show. He knew that through the imprint, Wynter would be able to feel his emotions until she learned to control her senses, but he wouldn't allow her to see it. It was inevitable – as much as he changed and as much as he proved his love to her, it would never change. He hurt her, he was the one who scarred her, and at the end of the day, she still hated him. "We'll start again tonight."

There were silent footsteps and he heard the lock click. Just has Draco heard the door open, he heard Wynter say, "And tonight we start the _Imperius Curse,_ you need to work up your immunity to it."

**So I planned on making this a longer chapter, but it's already midnight and I'm getting the girls at 6 in the morning and I still haven't showered yet. So I'm going to just make Wynter and Harry's conversation along with the 'training' in the next chapter, sorry about that. But what did you guys think of this chapter? Sam thems explanation for the curse? Hermione and Wynter's 'confrontation' – Draco and Wynter's 'confrontation' – Draco's reaction to the scars or Wynter's leaving statement? What do you think Harry wants to talk to her about? Here's a hint, Harry's conversation was the whole point of this chapter before I cut it short to shower then sleep(: Please review!**


	15. Everyone Doubts Themselves

**So first of all… I'm baaaack!(: and second of all, I'm so sorry that this took much longer than I thought it would. At first I only meant to take a one month break, but then things just got so much worse. I had another friend, two uncles, and one aunty who all passed away, and then things continued to worsen aside from that. I started to fix up all of my stories though, determined to come back with a clean slate, and edited stories. So every single one-shot, and song-fics are all edited and fixed up. I also fixed up ****A Gift From The Future,****When I'm Alone With You,****Simplest Simplicities,****A Witch In LA,**** and ****A Brothers War****! I've added another chapter to WIAWY after having finished it like 4-5 months ago. So if you've read any of them, you should probably go back and re-read it because there's no more errors (if you find any errors than I'm sorry, but I fixed it as well as I could, which means that any errors will most likely be permanent because I will never spot them. – but I fixed them up a whole LOT, and it's much better now!) I promised I would come back with something worth reading, and I also fixed up all mistakes, and errors, so yay!(:**

**And secondly of all: I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter. I deleted it because I didn't want to leave something so personal up for a long time, but I re-read all the kind words that you all said to me in your reviews. In a totally non-creepy way, I would constantly go back and re-read it again and again and again when I was feeling depressed. It was those reviews that pushed me to edit all my stories. So I love every single one of you, and thank you so much.**

**Thirdly: I realized that life is going to be wonky either way, and me taking breaks from writing won't fix anything. When I read your guys reviews, I decided to edit all my stories to help me move along quicker with my writing. After editing each story, I would write the next chapter then update it. So I did that with SS first, and I promised those readers that everything should be back to normal after I finished editing, and updating all my stories, but July… but then my neighbors decided to move away, and take their internet with them, and I had to wait until the beginning of July to get paid, and get my own internet. Even more so, I feel guilty for making you guys wait this long, but hopefully everything should be back to normal by now… and so yeah…**

**A/N: So a viewer pointed out to me that I said Wynter's mom is Voldemort's younger sister from his Riddle side, but I mentioned them as first cousins – honestly I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that, but I fixed it up now… so thanks to that viewer, Voldemort is now mentioned as Wynter's uncle and Wynter as his niece. (I also want to point out that YES – Wynter's mom is Voldemort's HALF sister, and that Wynter and Voldemort are related through his MUGGLE side, and that Wynter is completely a muggle-born, with no magical blood in her through any of her parents. It's purely coincidental that she became a witch, which is why Voldemort recognized her for being so powerful.) The viewer also mentioned that they didn't understand why Emily would come to La Push for vacation then never return back to where she came from, or why would Leah hate Emily when she showed that she didn't want to be with Sam in the beginning. As I explained, I didn't really think it through just because I don't like Leah personally, but I fixed it up a bit as well. Emily moved back to La Push instead of visiting, and Leah blamed Emily just because it was easier to hate her than to accept the fact that Sam didn't love her anymore. I strongly suggest you guys so go back and re-read this story because I changed minor things around, but it makes more sense now. Sorry for all those errors to begin with. I don't want to keep so much author notes on this story, but if you have any more confusions, just ask, and I shall answer(:**

**Now onto the chapter (which is also a 'song-fic' chapter) that you've all been so patiently waiting for!(: - which by the way: song lyrics will be in [**_**bold italic**_**], and memories will be in **_italic_**.**

Everyone Doubts Themselves

Entering the glass house that she still couldn't believe a coven of vampires would want to live in, Wynter noticed that all of the vampires were gone. Remembering hearing Paul mention something to Sam about the vampires going hunting after training, she made her way up to Harry's room. Humming to herself just to keep the conversation with Draco out of her mind, Wynter lightly knocked on the door then opened it without waiting to be invited in.

"Hey Harry."

Turning around from the desk that he was sitting at, Harry saw Wynter standing in the frame of his doorway. He noticed that she was looking paler than usual, and a little defeated about something. "Hey," he greeted her. Turning back to the paper in front of him, he said, "Hold on, I'm almost done with this letter."

"Are you writing to Sirius?" Wynter asked, sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, and pulling her feet up towards her.

"Yeah. I'm asking if he can send some chocolate frogs for me and Ron, and the pack wants to try out some of the Bertie Bott's every flavored beans. Plus I was thinking of getting Carlisle them a couple of blood pops. Don't worry, I put in a request for sugar quills for you and Hermione," suddenly looking up from the paper, he cocked an eyebrow, "Do you know what Pansy likes? I know that Seamus like the cockroach clusters, and Ginny likes the choco balls, but I don't know what Pansy likes. What about Malfoy?"

"Erm… I think I saw Pansy eating sugar quills in class a couple of times, and I know that Malfoy likes the chocolate flies," Wynter said, shrugging her shoulders. "What's this all about? Why are you getting us all sweets?"

"Because I miss it so much," Harry replied with a dreamy sigh worthy of Luna. "American muggle sweets have nothing on our sweets. I think I'm going to go insane if I have to go another day without a chocolate frog. I'm not like you Wynter; I can't be satisfied with a bunch of Crunch bars."

"Ahh," Wynter sighed, now also with a dreamy look on her face. "Crunch Bars – I love those so so so much."

"So I've noticed," Harry frowned.

Continuing to sit on the edge of Harry's bed, Wynter watched as he quickly scribbled the last of the requests to Sirius with a quick little side note that she didn't bother to try and pay attention to. Harry was quiet while he wrote to Sirius, and Wynter stopped humming in fear that it would annoy Harry too much, so now the room was silent, and she was able to think about the conversation between her and her imprinted one. It wasn't that she didn't want Draco to see the scars – no, wait, scratch that, yeah, she didn't want Draco to see the scars. Not because she was ashamed of them, but because she knew that he would feel guilty for being the one who did it to her. Granted, a couple of the scars were from Greyback and Rodolphus, but most of it came from Draco himself, and he had a tendency to be whiny when it came to what he did to her in the past.

It was as if Draco was living in a permanent memory of his torturous past towards other people, mainly Wynter, and he was constantly trying to atone for his actions. It's like if Draco can't make up what he did to Wynter, then he was miserable for the rest of his life. It didn't help that she could now feel his every emotion, because now she had to deal with his misery as much as her own, and it annoyed her even more. Wynter felt like a walking time-bomb. Sam and the rest of the pack were constantly trying to teach her how to control her emotions, but she couldn't seem to master it at all, not to mention the fact that she hadn't turned into her wolf form yet, plus all the feelings that she was having: fear at Draco learning the truth, fear of Draco being hurt, fear of turning dark, anger at Draco for hurting her the way he did, anger at Draco for being the one she was imprinted with, anger with Hermione for being so stupid, anger at Ginny for sneaking out to Forks, anger at Alice for bringing _her _out to Forks, anger at Bella for starting all of this, anger at her mum for being a Riddle, anger at Dumbledore for not telling them anything, anger at Sirius for asking them to save Draco, fear that she'll kill everyone she loves, fear that she'll never love anyone, fear that she'll scar Draco the way that Sam scarred Emily, jealousy at Hermione and Jacob for having a happy imprint, jealousy at Paul for not imprinting yet, jealousy when she looked at Seamus and Pansy because a Gryffindor and Slytherin overcame everything and people accepted their love… there were just so many emotions of her own that she had to suffer, and now she had to endure Draco's pain as well, and it felt like no matter how calm she tried to remain, Wynter could explode at any moment.

_**This is a song for those who lost their hope**_

_**A long a long time ago.**_

_**I know that someday you will find it somehow**_

_**Oh yeah, yeah.**_

_**Because you're not too old to accomplish those **_

_**And all the answers are within your soul. **_

_**It's up to you, you gotta figure it out.**_

"Okay," Harry stood up after opening the window for the owl to fly out. "Sorry about that, we can talk now."

Shaking away the now forming memory of Draco's pained face as he traced her scars, Wynter saw Harry staring at her. "Oh, right. What did you want to talk about?"

"You."

"Me?"

Nodding his head, Harry used his wand to cast a silencing spell on the room in case anyone were to pass by and hear them talking. "I know what you're going through Wynter," when the said girl cocked an eyebrow at him, Harry chuckled, "Okay, well not really. I mean, I'm not Voldemort's niece, or a muggle-born witch now turned Quileute shape-shifter who's imprinted on the bloke who's tortured me in the past, but I do know what it's like to be wanted for dead."

"I know, Harry," Wynter sighed, not wanting to have this conversation with him right now, "Your parents were betrayed by their best friend, then killed by Voldemort. You were nearly killed every year from the time you were eleven, and you've been accused of being the next Dark Lord. I know, Harry – you've had it just as bad as I have."

"Not just as bad," Harry shook his head. "Wynter, you returned home after sixth year and found your parents tortured and killed. I didn't have time to know my parents, but you did. You were the one who discovered their bodies, and you were handpicked by the darkest wizard alive to be his successor. I'm not saying that we both went through the same things nor am I saying that we're even on the same level of having shit happen to us, but I do know that, aside from you, I'm the only one who's been personally targeted by Voldemort. We both lost our parents because of him, and we've both been touched by his darkness. Ron was possessed by him only that one time when he wore the locket, and it lasted for only a couple of seconds, and Ginny was possessed by him that time in our second year, but she doesn't even remember any of it. You and me though – we've both been taunted by dreams of him, and we've both felt his evil seep into our hearts."

"Are you still dreaming?" she asked in a low voice.

"Of course," Harry nodded his head. "And I know that you are too. We didn't ask for this to happen to us, Wynter, but I think it's happening to us because we're the only ones who can handle it. The dreams may not be as real as they used to be, and my scar may not hurt anymore, but he's still getting to us. No matter how much we move on from what he did to us, we still have a piece of him lingering inside of us."

Staring up at Harry, Wynter tried to remember a time before she became miserable. She was happy once; she had to be. She had a loving relationship with both of her parents before they were murdered by Voldemort, and she had friends in the muggle world once upon a time. She was sure that there was even a time when she would giggle over boys and dance in the rain, but she couldn't remember any of it. All she could remember was the misery that Voldemort had created.

"I know what it's like to want to give up," Harry continued talking once he realized that she wasn't going to. "I know what it's like to isolate yourself from the people who love and care about you, and just want to give up. It's normal to just want to sit out from a fight, and let everyone else worry about their own lives for once. Hell, there were so many times in school that I just wanted to say fuck it, and join the dark side just because I knew that I wouldn't have to fight anymore. But it's never that easy," he told her. "Once you allow the darkness to consume you, you have a new type of feeling in you and you're still fighting, but now instead of protecting your friends you're the one who's killing them."

Wynter continued to stare up at Harry, and she wondered about his past. Was there a time when he was once happy? She knew that he was taken to the Dursleys when he was only a year old, and that they've mentally abused him for all those ten years before he went to Hogwarts, but was there a time of happiness somewhere in those years? Was there a time when his aunt would run from her room to his in the middle of the night during a storm and hold onto him; letting him know that he was safe? Was there a time when his uncle would hold his hand across the street or tell some random passerby that that was his nephew? Was there a time at Hogwarts that Harry didn't feel the threats of being wanted for dead, and he could just laugh openly?

"I never became dark, Wynter, and neither have you, and that just proves even more how stronger we both are. I remember back in fifth year when Snape was teaching me how to block my mind to Voldemort, all I wanted to do was give up. I remember thinking that Snape was just trying to weaken me for Voldemort, and there was this huge part inside of me that wanted to just let him. Sometimes I still want to give up."

"Then why don't you?" she finally asked. "Why keep fighting if every part of you wants to give up?"

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly don't know why I haven't given up yet. Why are _you_ still here? Why haven't _you_ given up yet?"

"What makes you think that I want to give up?"

"I can see it in your eyes," he told her. "It's like looking into a bloody mirror. I can see my own feelings in your eyes, Wynter. I can see the pain of holding on, and the thoughts of doubt that you're holding onto nothing. I can tell that you want to give up because you look just like how I did," when Wynter didn't say anything, Harry sighed. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone wants to give up sometimes. It's normal; it's what makes us human. It's what separates us from Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters."

"How does it make us different from them?" she asked him. "It's not like we're giving up on a test or giving up on our favorite sweets, Harry. We're giving up on fighting. And it's not a normal fight either. It's not like we're giving up on fighting the war that's coming; we're giving up on the fight inside of ourselves. By giving up, we'll give into the darkness inside of us, and we'll no longer be good. We won't be the heroes of the story anymore."

"Exactly," Harry smiled. "We fight a battle that no one else sees. We have to fight ourselves every day. It separates us from Voldemort and the Death Eaters because they gave up. They weren't strong enough to win against themselves; they gave up and they lost, allowing the darkness to consume them. See, Wynter, everyone _wants_ to give up, but what separates us from everyone else is that we _want_ to, but we_ don't_; we keep fighting even though a part of us wants to just stop already. That's what makes us the true heroes; we want to give up, but we don't allow ourselves to."

Allowing what Harry just told her to soak into her mind, Wynter slowly nodded her head. She thought back to her night with Jacob, and she remembered the concern in his eyes as he listened to her explain how sometimes she just wanted to give in to the moon's path. She remembered that she didn't see or sense fear coming from; only concern and pity. Jacob didn't fear her – he felt sorry for her.

"And sometimes," Harry said softly, "The Death Eaters also fight a battle, and they prove to be stronger than even us, even by giving up."

Looking up, Wynter softly smiled. "They give up on the darkness and they join our side."

"I know that you have it worse than any of us do," Harry told her. "And I know that none of us can compare to you; nor do we blame you for wanting to give up. Hell, even if you did give up the fight, I wouldn't blame you. But what we go through – what _you_ go through – it's all different from what the other side goes through. Sometimes evil has an explanation. Look at Snape, Blaise, Pansy, and even Draco."

"No," Wynter shook her head, remembering the day that Draco cornered her in the hall during fifth year. "Some people never change."

Harry shook his head, "Malfoy never really fought against us did he?"

"I…" she sighed, "No, I don't think he did."

"There's more between you two than you're telling us, isn't there?" when Wynter only blinked her eyes at him, Harry chuckled softly while slowly scratching the back of his neck. "There's a reason that you imprinted on him, and you know it don't you, Wynter?"

"Harry," she said. "There are some things that you don't know where to start explaining."

"What else happened that night?" he asked her, "That night that Snape killed Dumbledore, what happened between you and Malfoy?"

Thinking back to that night, Wynter frowned. "Everything."

"Then maybe," Harry told her, "Maybe you should start from that night."

"When you told me you wanted to talk, I didn't think you wanted to talk about me and Malfoy."

"I didn't. I wanted to tell you that I understand what it's like to want to give up."

"Then what does Malfoy have to do with it?"

"Apparently everything. We all have questions, Wynter. We all want to know things, and we all want to give up on things. Sometimes we continue searching for the answers and sometimes we give up on asking the questions. But you – somehow your questions, your answers, and your strength all comes down to one thing."

"What's that?"

"Whatever happened between you and Malfoy. Think back to that night, because that's when you wanted to start giving up on everything."

_**It's up to you, you gotta figure it out.**_

_**Uh-huh…**_

Relishing in the idea that no one was on the field, Wynter allowed herself to just lie down on the grass, and stare up at the sky. It's been an hour since she left Harry's room, and his words were still haunting her; _whatever happened between you and Malfoy. Think back to that night, because that's when you wanted to start giving up on everything – _that was the problem though – she didn't want to think back to that night, because she already knew what happened between them. What happened between them was the very thing that she fought so hard to forget about.

Staring up at the clouds above her, Wynter tried to stretch her hand out as far as it could go to see if she could reach them. Growing up, her parents both made sure that their work schedules never collided because they wanted at least one of them to always be with her, but one time when she was eight, both of her parents got called in to their jobs because of an emergency. She remembered thinking it was so odd how both of their jobs had an emergency at the same moment when they were both so different from the other: her father worked as a foreman for a construction company, and her mum was a nurse – the two jobs were as far apart as any two jobs could be, but they both had an emergency at the same time. That was the first time that her parents trusted Wynter with a babysitter.

Staring up at the duck-shaped cloud in the sky, Wynter smiled back at that memory. It was a happy memory – wasn't it? That day proved that she was once happy – didn't it?

She was eight years old, and her dad took her next door to their neighbor's house. Wynter was so nervous at that time because she knew that Mr. and Mrs. Robertson were both on vacation in the states, and that only their eighteen year old son was home at the time. She had lived in that house all eight years of her life, and she never met Clyde before. Mrs. Robertson and her first husband got divorced a long time ago, and Clyde lived with his dad and his stepmum until he turned eighteen, but that was only three months before. And within those three months, he spent most of his time either at work or with his friends – she didn't even know what he looked like.

_ Clutching tightly onto her father's hand, Wynter stared up at the older boy who answered the ringing doorbell. "Hullo Mr. Morris," the eighteen year old said, confused. "My mum and Frank aren't home right now."_

_ "I know, Clyde," Gregory Morris sighed. "I'm sorry to bother you, but both my wife and I were called in to work for emergencies. I really hate to do this, but it's too late to find anyone else right now. Would you mind watching Wynter for us? It should only be for a couple of hours, and we'll pay you fifty pounds."_

_ Wynter tried to hide behind the long, broadened legs of her father, but the light brown eyes still landed on her. She watched in fascination as a slightly darkened hand ran through the dark hair while another hand scratched at the odd stubble on his chin. "Sure," the boy said, shrugging his shoulder. "Though I doubt she'll have any fun being locked up in this house all day. How old are you, Wynter?"_

_ "Eight," she replied._

_ "Can I take her to the park?" Clyde asked her father. _

_ "If you don't mind," Gregory replied, sighing with relief. "Here's a paper with our numbers on it. It has the number of my construction company, and the number of my boss. There's also the number for the clinic that Tabitha works at, and the number of her boss. Here's our cell numbers, and the numbers of the closest hospital, and doctor's office."_

_ Chuckling, Clyde accepted the piece of paper, then shoved it into his pocket. "Don't worry about it Mr. Morris, everything will be fine. Do you want my number in case we're not back from the park when you come home? I might take her to see a show or something."_

_ Continuing to stand there as her father and Clyde exchanged pieces of papers and pounds, Wynter slowly moved away from her father's legs. She was confused as to why her parents would trust a 'hoodlum' to watch her – at least that's what they called him one time. One week after Clyde moved in with the Robertsons, they were driving home from a dinner party at her mum's bosses house, and they thought she fell asleep in the backseat, and she heard them talking about how he dressed like one of those hoodlum guys that they always see lurking about the streets late at night. She didn't know what a hoodlum was, but she thought that Clyde was sort of cute – if he wasn't so icky, of course. She liked the way that his jeans were saggy and she could see the top of his red colored boxers, and she liked the way that his black jacket was puffy and hung to his knees with only an undershirt beneath it. _

_ "So what do you like to do?" he asked her while they were walking towards the park._

_ Wynter shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know."_

_ "Do you like the park?" he asked._

_ "I guess," she replied, playing with the earring in her own ears while staring at the shiny one in his. "I don't go there that much."_

_ "Really?" cocking an eyebrow, he looked down at her. "You don't go to the park?" she shook her head. "Have you ever been to the park before?"_

_ "When I was younger," she nodded her head. "My dad and mum used to take me. But they're always working now."_

_ "I thought that one of them was always at home with you?"_

_ Nodding her head again, Wynter could already hear the laughter from the other kids at the park nearby. "When Dad's home he likes to watch football and drink with his friends. It's always fun though because he lets me drink pop in a can every time he opens a new beer. I can smash a can on my head, you know."_

_ "That's always a fun talent to have," Clyde laughed. "What about your mum? What does she do with you when she's home?"_

_ "Mum's time at home usually means we need to clean the house or get dinner ready for when Dad comes home. Sometimes though, she'll turn the radio on really loud and we get to paint each other's nails. Mum calls that our 'girl time'."_

_ Clyde nodded his head, and Wynter couldn't understand why he looked like he was sad. "Do you have any friends at school, Wynter?"_

_ "Carly's my best friend," she immediately replied with a huge grin. "And then there's Mindy. The three of us are always together. We don't like Lauren or Sarah though, and Kristen used to be our friend until we found out that she went to Lauren's birthday party last month. So now we don't like her either," Clyde was snickering next to her, but she didn't let it bother her much, she was now counting off her fingers. "And I don't like Billy that much either; he's so mean to me. Last week he tripped me when I went to turn in my spelling test. And I heard him telling Keith and Tony that I had bugs in my hair. I don't though; he's a stupid liar."_

Watching as the duck-shaped cloud slowly formed into a one-eyed giant, Wynter found herself laughing at her memories, and smiling at the reminder that she was once normal.

_"My dress is going to get dirty."_

_ "There's no dirt around here."_

_ "But if I lay on the grass, then I'll get grass stains. Mum always gets mad when I come home with grass stains on my dress."_

_ Rolling his eyes, Clyde took off his jacket. Gently laying it on the grass, he pointed at it. "There, now you can lie down on my jacket, and your dress won't get dirty."_

_ "But won't your mum get mad at you if you get your jacket dirty?"_

_ Trying his hardest to hold in his laughter, Clyde tried to keep a serious face, "Don't worry about it – that's the best part about having my mum in the states; I'll wash my jacket before she sees it."_

_ Feeling as if she was the coolest kid at the park right now, Wynter laid down on Clyde's jacket, and couldn't wait to go to school on Monday. Carly and Mindy would be so jealous when she told them all about how she went to the park with a hoodlum then laid down on his jacket next to him. Then she thought about how Kristen, Lauren, and Sarah would react, and even more she was excited. Looking next to her, she saw that Clyde had his hands behind his head, so she decided to do the same: lifting her head up so that her pigtails shifted over to the front of her shoulders, Wynter crossed her arms underneath her head. Looking down at Clyde's legs, she saw that his knees were bent, and she did the same thing too._

_ Clyde started to laugh. "I hope you're wearing pants underneath that dress."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "Because everyone can see right up your dress," he told her. "Put your legs down, Wynter, didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't let people see your knickers?"_

_ "Your legs are up."_

_ "But I'm wearing pants," he told her. "No one can see my knickers."_

_ "I can," she pointed out. "They're red. And they're sticking out from the top of your pants. Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't let people see your knickers?"_

_ Laughing again, Clyde shook his head, "You got me there. Alright then, how about this – I'll put my legs down if you put down yours?"_

_ Thinking about it for a couple of seconds, Wynter nodded her head, "It sounds fair."_

_ "Okay, on the count of three?"_

_ "One-"_

_ "Two-"_

_ Together, they both shouted, "Three!" then started to laugh as they both dropped their legs._

_ "Why are we lying down?" Wynter asked after a couple minutes of being silent. "I thought that we came to the park to play?"_

_ Lifting his head up so that he could look at the actual playground, Clyde saw a couple of kids fighting over the swings, the two seesaws were both taken, and the slide was wet. "It's busy," he told her._

_ "So why are we lying down? Are you tired? If you wanted to take a nap, we could've stayed at your house – you do have a bed don't you?"_

_ "Yes, Wynter," he chuckled, "I do have a bed. We're lying down because I want to watch the clouds."_

_ "What?"_

_ "What?" he gasped. "Are you telling me that you've never watched the clouds before?"_

_ Wynter nodded her head, "What do we have to do?"_

Smiling as she remembered an innocent time in her life where she was just a normal child who did normal childlike things, Wynter thought back to her neighbor. It's been years since she's last seen Clyde. Actually, now that she thought about it, it's been years since she even thought about him. After that day that he taught her all about watching the clouds, he would sometimes walk her to school for her parents, and even pick her up. That was when Wynter thought she was on top of the world – she was the only kid in her primary school that had a cool hoodlum pick her up… even Billy was jealous of her. Sometimes Clyde would even ask her parents if he could take her to the skating rink with his friends or to watch a new movie that would just come out. Clyde became an older brother who taught her about life in a way that her parents never could. After she found out she was a witch, she sort of lost touch with him. Her first year at Hogwarts was the same year that Clyde moved to a different part of London with his girlfriend that he met at work. Whenever he would go to visit his mum and stepdad, Wynter was always at Hogwarts. Now staring at a cloud that resembled a baseball bat, it dawned on Wynter that the last time she actually saw Clyde was at her parents' funeral.

_**Oh where are you?**_

_**One love or money, good fortune or fame?**_

_**You want a brand new car; you want the world to change.**_

_**You better take some action right now.**_

_**Oh yes, because there's nothing in the world that you can't get.**_

_**So don't fill your life with confusion and regret.**_

_**You better take some chances right now.**_

"Hullo Wynter."

Realizing that the building-shaped cloud turned into a live person, Wynter blinked her eyes until the person standing above her took form. "Hey Seamus."

"What you doing down there?"

"Watching the clouds."

"Ooh, cloud watching," rubbing his hands together while grinning as if he's just been told that he's won the lottery, Seamus quickly dropped his body to the ground so that he was soon lying on the grass next to Wynter. "I haven't done this since the summer between fifth and sixth year."

Laughing, Wynter turned her head to stare at Seamus. "I hope you weren't supposed to tell me anything."

"Nope," he shook his own head. "Pansy and Ginny are both talking about something, and they kicked me out me own room. I was just walking around, when I saw you lying here on the grass."

Having a feeling that she knew what the two witches were talking about, Wynter rolled her eyes. It was probably a good idea that Ginny snuck away to Forks, now that she knew Blaise was working with the Order – that was a drama that she didn't want to have to deal with right now. "I'm happy for you," she said suddenly. "For you and Pansy."

"Thanks," he grinned, staring up at the clouds. "Look, it's a pony."

Staring up at the lopsided pony that Seamus was pointing at, Wynter tilted her head, "A pony with three legs; poor thing – oh, look, it's Buckbeak."

"Don't you mean Witherwings?" laughing at his own joke, Seamus continued trying to look for shapes in the clouds.

Feeling Seamus shiver next to her, Wynter realized that a chill must be starting to take over the air, and she was annoyed that her new 'wolf' blood didn't allow her to get cold anymore. She liked being able to get cold – it meant that she could still feel. Sitting up, she also realized that it was somewhere in the late afternoon – probably almost evening already. Looking over at Seamus, she saw that he was still lying down, but instead of staring at the clouds, he was staring at her now.

"What?" she asked him, still sitting down.

"Why do you think they do it?" he asked her. Wynter scrunched her face up to show that she didn't know what he was talking about, and Seamus chuckled softly. "The Slytherins – those Slytherins; the supposed to be evil Slytherins. Why do you think they fall in love with us Gryffindors – Snape with Lily, Pansy with me, Zabini with Ginny, and Malfoy with you? Why do you think the Death Eaters always fall in love with members of the Order?"

Wynter began to dig at her right ear, while she wrinkled her nose. "Well, it's not _all _of the Death Eaters, it's only four. And so far, _love _is such a strong word, don't you think so? I mean just because I've imprinted on him, doesn't mean that he's in love with me. And from what Harry told us that he saw in Snape's memories when they thought he was dead, we know that Dumbledore forced – wait – what – what do you mean Zabini with Ginny? What did you hear Pansy and Ginny talking about?"

"Don't change the subject," he chuckled, turning back to the clouds now. "I mean look at it, Wynter, really look at it; Snape was in love with Lily. He turned his back on Voldemort and became a spy for the Order just to protect her, and after she died he started to protect Harry just in her memory. Snape gave up everything that he had just because he loved Lily. Then there's me and Pansy – she snuck around Hogwarts every night just to get me information during our seventh year, hoping that whatever she told me could help the Order out. Zabini did the same thing too, and I'm not saying he did or didn't do it for Ginny, but the two of them took the dark marks just to get us information on the new Death Eaters, not to mention Pansy also killed her own father just to save Luna's life. All her life, Pansy was taught to hate and kill people like me – just a half-blood – but she turned against her own beliefs because somewhere along the way she fell in love with me."

"You're an easy guy to love, Seamus," Wynter said, picking at the grass surrounding her. "And Snape was never really evil; he just turned to Voldemort for comfort when Lily chose James over him. Snape thought that by Lily choosing James, he had nothing left to live for, then he learned that he was about to lose Lily forever, and he realized he didn't have it in his heart to be as evil as his master – Snape was never truly evil; just misunderstood."

"Maybe so," Seamus shrugged his shoulders. "But then there's you and there's Malfoy."

"There's me and there's Malfoy."

"The muggle-born and the pureblooded Death Eater," he pointed out.

Wynter nodded her head, "The muggle-born and the pureblooded Death Eater. He was in Slytherin, and I was in Gryffindor."

"He didn't turn against Voldemort the way that Snape did," Seamus sighed. "Nor did he risk his life every night just to sneak information to the Order. He went along with everything that he was ordered to do, and he attempted to kill Dumbledore just as Voldemort demanded of him," Wynter stopped pulling at the grass, and stared down at Seamus who was still talking to the clouds. "I mean, he did torture you for hours when Voldemort told him to, and he did savagely beat you up that day in fifth year when you turned him down. And then there was that other time in fifth year when he tripped you down the-"

"I get it," Wynter said, stopping Seamus from continuing his miserable little stroll down Hogwart's lane. "Malfoy never risked his own life to help us out. He's not like Snape or your girlfriend; he didn't switch sides until the end."

Remaining silent for a while, Seamus finally turned his head to stare at Wynter. "He came through for us when we really needed him. Snape was nearly dead because Nagini almost killed him, and Pansy and Zabini were locked up in the dungeons with the rest of Slytherin – Ginny was almost killed by Lucius and none of the inside information that we had on the Death Eaters could have saved her. None of our 'spies' were there to help her out. No, instead, we had Malfoy. Malfoy; the very one who didn't show us any sign that he was on our side, shot a curse at his own father just to protect Ginny – a member of the Order. It was at that very moment, when one of our own was about to die, that Malfoy decided to truly show who he was fighting with. He may have been late to the Order, but at least Ginny's alive."

Sighing, Wynter took in a deep breath. "What's the point of this, Seamus? To show that Malfoy pulled through when it really mattered? I already know that."

"No," he shook his head, "I don't think you do," sitting up, Seamus also sighed. "Look, lass, I don't know what went on between you and Malfoy, but I have a feeling that it's a lot more than you admit to any of us or even to yourself. You spend so much time hating him for what he did to you, and for what he did to the rest of us, that you forget how much good he did. If it wasn't for Malfoy, Ginny would be dead right now. Hell, I'd probably be dead too. McNair was just about to hit me with a killing curse, and I had no time to block it, but then Malfoy came in out of nowhere and blocked me with a shield just in time; he was the one who killed McNair – not me."

Wynter opened her mouth to ask more about Draco killing McNair, but then she had a sudden sense of fear taking over her body. Groaning as she realized that she'd been separated from Draco for too long, and now he was getting nervous about her wellbeing, Wynter sighed again. "Why do you think that is then?" she asked Seamus. "That the Slytherins fall in love with us Gryffindors?"

"Wasn't that the question I asked you," Seamus smirked.

Shaking her head, Wynter released a loud groan. "Damn you Seamus. Harry just talked to me too, and my mind was already filled with all sorts of psychological/philosophical shit, and now I have to think about this too?"

Laughing, Seamus winked at her, "It's a serious question though. We have nothing to offer them, Wynter. Pansy already owns five mansions, and has an inheritance that could support her for twenty lifetimes. Me dad works in a grocery store, and me mom is a healer – I have nothing to give to Pansy that she doesn't already have, but she chose me. Why? And then there's you and Malfoy – we all know that he only chose our side at the last minute because of you, and no matter how much you try to deny it, we all saw how much pain he was in when you wouldn't wake up. For a moment, it was like he lost everything."

"I know," Wynter whispered, staring Seamus in his eyes, "I could sense it when I woke up."

"Everybody wants to fall in love, but none of us knows what to do once we've been caught."

Groaning once more, Wynter threw her body back onto the grass so that she was now staring up at the clouds once again. "He's worried about me," she sighed. "I've been gone for too long."

"Do you think that if you didn't imprint on him, you still would've ended up together?" Seamus asked her, turning his own head back to the clouds once more, "Or do you think that you would've continued to run away? Without an imprint, you never would've had an excuse to stop and look back."

_**Oh yeah, well you can gain the world for the price of your soul,**_

_**Yes I know, well I know, yes I know,**_

_**You can gain the world for the price of your soul.**_

_**But I hope you take the road less traveled,**_

_**And I hope you find the courage to grow,**_

_**Well, I hope you find the courage to grow.**_

"You don't look too well," jerking out of her thoughts, Wynter looked up to see Billy staring at her. Pushing the mashed potatoes around on her plate, she noticed that Charlie was staring at her as well. When she returned from the field, she planned on just taking a shower and going to sleep, but she saw that Billy and Charlie were both standing over a grill and cooking the fish that they caught earlier in the day. Her mind was still stuck on what Seamus said to her though, and it annoyed her even more. She was already thinking about everything that Harry said, and now she had to deal with Seamus's crap too. "Wynter?"

Seeing that both Jacob and Hermione were now staring at her as well, Wynter stopped playing with her food. "Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" Charlie asked her suddenly, "Are you feeling sick? Is it the fish? I told you the lake didn't look too clean today, Billy."

Noticing the way that Hermione suddenly stopped chewing on her own forkful of dinner, Wynter felt a wave of concern enter her body, and she turned to look at Draco. It seemed like he wasn't feeling good either. "I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something that happened today."

Hermione's eyes suddenly flashed with guilt while Jacob cocked an eyebrow at both girls. Billy suddenly looked concerned about something, and Charlie remained confused. Wynter could now sense guilt and fear coming from her imprinted one, and it made her a little nauseous. "What happened?" Charlie asked her.

"Hmm?" realizing that everyone was still staring at her, Wynter shook her head, "Oh, sorry, erm… it was nothing really, I just went out to the big open field and sort of stared up at the clouds, and it reminded me of when I was younger," standing up, she turned to Billy, "Sorry, but do you mind if I-?"

Nodding his head before Wynter finished asking to be excused, Billy waved his hand at her, "I'll put your plate in the oven in case you get hungry again."

"Thanks," turning to Charlie, she pushed in her chair, "It was good to see you again, Charlie," she smiled at him.

Feeling confused about everything, Wynter threw on a pair of grey jogging shorts and a white tank top. Rolling her hair up into a sloppy bun, she turned around and cocked an eyebrow when she saw Draco wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a giant grey hoodie. Turning away from him, she tried to drown out the concern that was emanating from him, and tie her shoes. A minute later she turned back around, and saw that he was wearing jogging shoes as well.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"It looks like I'm going jogging."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you going jogging?"

"Well, you're going jogging."

"Yes, because I-"

"You're terrible at this whole being imprinted thing," he told her.

Wynter began to choke on air, "What?"

"You suck at it," Draco said as if he were announcing the weather. "You're supposed to be _with _your mate at all times; not constantly running_ away _from them."

_ 'You're supposed to be _with_ your mate at all times; not constantly running _away _from them,'_ Wynter heard herself growling at what Draco just said. It reminded her too much of Seamus's haunting question: _'Do you think that if you didn't imprint on him, you still would've ended up together? Or do you think that you would've continued to run away? Without an imprint, you never would've had an excuse to stop and look back.'_ "I'm not running away," she suddenly said. When Draco lifted an amused eyebrow at her, Wynter blushed and looked down at her outfit, "Okay, well, maybe right now, but I'm not running away… I'm just going out for a jog," Draco continued to just stare at her, so she continued, "And it's not as if I know what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm new at this whole imprint thing too."

"I know," Draco chuckled, "Which is why we need to be together; so we can learn how to control our emotions. I don't know about you, but I don't like feeling like a silly love-sick school girl every time you're gone for more than two hours."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Wynter stared up at Draco. He continued to stare down at her as well, and all she could think about was what both Harry and Seamus told her. Staring at Draco right now, she could see the same sixteen year old boy that had her pinned against the wall in an abandoned corridor. Remembering how it felt to have his body flushed against hers, Wynter could feel her cheeks heating up. Tracing her throat with her fingers, Wynter remembered how much better it felt to have Draco's tongue tracing it instead. Harry wanted to give her a simple pep-talk about giving up, but it turned into a memoir of Hogwarts Forbidden Nights: The Wynter Chronicles. There was a new sensation running through her now, and Wynter continued to stare at a confused Draco.

She could feel his fear, and she suddenly began to wonder – was it fear for her, or was it fear about everything that he abandoned when he decided to join their side? What _did_ Draco Malfoy fear? Harry pointed out that even Draco fought with himself, but that it was a different fight from her own. Draco fought with himself to no longer be evil; whereas she fought with herself to become evil… well, no, not really… she fought against the part of her that no longer wanted to be good. She had to fight to remain good, whereas Draco had to fight to no longer remain evil. Harry also mentioned that she only wanted to start giving up on everything the night that Dumbledore was killed. Was it true – did Draco really affect her that much?

_ Draco inhaled deeply and breathed in the berry scent that came from the girl pressing against him. "You don't know me."_

_ "No," she frowned, pulling slightly away from him so that their eyes could meet. "You're just the boy who cornered me one day and beat me up when I turned you down."_

_ "Exactly. I'm the boy who cornered you one day and beat you up when you turned me down."_

_ As quickly as the words escaped Draco's lips, Wynter released a surprised squeak of shock. Her eyes widened with delighted fear and Draco's hands had her wrists pinned up against the wall. From this new angle of theirs, Wynter could feel the hardened lines of his Quidditch playing chest pressing against her. Lowering her eyes from his steely gaze, she found herself staring at the tightening lines of his jaw. A taunting pink tip poked its way out from his dried lips and absentmindedly began to blanket them with a wetness that called to her._

_ "W-What are you doing?"_

_ Smirking at the thought that he had managed to have the bravest witch in all of history – at least in his mind – stuttering and frightened, Draco traced the side of her face with his pressed lips, pausing on her cheek and speaking against her so that she shuddered from the vibrations of his words; "Don't talk about things you don't understand."_

_ Wynter opened her mouth to tell him to shove off, or ask him what he meant. She opened her mouth to say something, but all thoughts left her mind and a gasp escaped in place of her forgotten words._

_ Draco moaned against her throat. His tongue was gliding along it and he tasted the rain. "Is it storming outside?"_

_ "Hmm?" Wynter tried to fight the administrations he was doing to her. At least if anyone asked her, she would tell them she tried to fight it, but in all honesty her knees gave in and she couldn't function properly._

_ Chuckling against her, Draco caught a piece of her skin between his teeth and began to lightly nibble on it. "You taste like rain," he told her, "Is it storming outside?"_

_ "I-I don't know," she admitted, giving into her bodies wishes and tilting her head back so that he could get an easier access to her neck._

_Neither of them knew how it ended this way. One minute, Draco was searching for her to kill her and she was greeting her death like it was an old friend. Draco was shouting at her that he was innocent and he didn't ask for this life while she was reminding him that he had many chances to free himself from it. With a confused sentence, their arguments were reversed and Wynter was trying to convince him that he still had some good in him while he tried to warn her that he was just as heartless as the mark on his arm. Now he's pinning her against the wall; tasting her, familiarizing himself with her; all arguments forgotten. For this one moment they were just teens giving in to the passion of fear and hatred._

_A soft mewl escaped Wynter's lips and Draco was drawn to the sound. It was the most beautiful sound he's ever heard before, and he wanted to hear more of it. Abandoning the fresh misty taste of her skin, and the slightly forming bruise that his teeth had branded her throat with, his lips found hers. He pressed against it, and sighed in content; his tongue teased her lips, but she kept them tightly shut. Her eyes shut then opened then shut again and had to force themselves to remain open._

_ "Open for me," he growled against her. Chuckling, Wynter shook her head to deny him access and he bit down on her; collecting her bottom lip in his mouth and sucking on it. Wynter opened her mouth in response to release a sound that had his blood all rushing south and his tongue greedily found its way to greet hers. They fought for a dominance and in the end he let her win; allowing her tongue to take control of his mouth while just savoring taste. He didn't understand how one female could have so many separate scents and tastes. Her skin smelt like berries while her skin tasted like rain. Her lips tasted of chocolate and watermelon, but her mouth – her mouth… that tasted like pure sugar. It was a sweet high; threatening him with cavities, but he found himself not caring at all if he lost all of his teeth because of this one kiss. Her taste was so sweetly divine that he was more than fine with her controlling the kiss; praying that her taste got stuck in his own mouth._

_ "Draco," it was the first time she called out his first name and it drew out a gasp from him which ended up in her mouth. Grinning against his lips, Wynter tried to move her hands towards his hair, but it was pointless because he still had her wrists pinned above their heads. His knee was pressed between her legs and she didn't know whether he realized it or not, but every time he would lean in to deepen the kiss, he would press against her core, drawing more sounds from her and causing her body to arch towards his; trying to meet his every thrust._

Wynter watched as Draco walked across the room, and leaned against the dresser. His arms were folded over his chest, and he watched her suspiciously; it was as if he didn't trust the way she was now staring at him. Shaking away the memories of that night, Wynter remembered what Seamus told her as well: something about the Death Eaters always falling in love with members of the Order. Seamus asked her why Death Eaters fell in love with members of the Order, and she asked him why Slytherins fell in love with Gryffindors; all in all, the questions were both the same. Then Seamus pointed out how Draco went along with everything that Voldemort said… until the very end when he decided to suddenly switch sides. According to Seamus – or at least what she assumed he meant – it didn't matter that Draco didn't switch sides until the very end, because he proved to help them out just as much as Snape, Pansy, and Blaise did – he managed to fight in the battle, and save innocent lives while killing his fellow Death Eaters. Seamus said it was all because he loved her.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Draco asked her suddenly.

Draco loved her – that was what Seamus said. She gave up on everything because of what happened the night that Dumbledore was killed – that was what Harry said.

_ "The Death Eaters are here."_

_"Help us stop them."_

_"I can't."_

_ "We'll protect you."_

_"He'll find me."_

_"I'll protect you."_

_"I won't let you."_

_ "Draco-"_

_"One day, I'll fix this. I love you. Stupefy!"_

Draco loved her – that's what he told her the night that Dumbledore was killed; the night that she started wanting to give up on everything.

_**Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.**_

_**So now you're 45,**_

_**And you realize just what you wanna do with your life.**_

_**Just took some time for you to figure it out.**_

_**Uh-huh, yeah,**_

_**'Cause every one of us has a purpose here;**_

_**Sometimes it's hidden underneath your fear.**_

"Wynter?"

Looking up, Wynter saw that Draco was still staring at her with a confused look on his face. She remembered meeting him for the first time when she only eleven years old and shopping in Diagon Alley to buy her school things. Professor McGonagall was the one who delivered her letter to her on her eleventh birthday, and it was Professor McGonagall who took her family to Diagon Alley in order to explain everything to them, and show them around. She remembered begging her mum for ice-cream once Professor McGonagall started explaining the differences in food between the muggle world and the magical world. It was in the ice-cream shop that she first met Draco Malfoy.

She was so nervous that day in Diagon Alley, but so excited at the same time. She could remember that day as if it were only five minutes ago – she was wearing her favorite blue jean shorts and a baggy t-shirt that Clyde gave to her because it was too small for him and because she liked the pretty swirly designs on it. Because the shirt would reach her knees if she didn't tuck it in, her mum ended up tying the two sides of it in rubber-bands, which made her smile because it looked like her shirt had pigtails. She remembered that Clyde's girlfriend got bored the night before and decided to cornrow her hair, so her hair had about thirty tiny little braids in it that reached just below her shoulders, and her nails were painted brightly orange. She remembered her hair, nails, and outfit because 'til this very day it was still her favorite hair, nails, and outfit that she had ever had. Wynter remembered feeling like the biggest kid in all of London when she entered that ice-cream shop on her own. Professor McGonagall stayed outside of the shop with her parents, and they allowed her to go and buy her own ice-cream while they continued talking about all the sorts of books that she would need for school.

_Eleven year old Wynter stepped up to the ice-cream counter, ready to order her very first wizarding world treat, when she heard her mum's voice behind her. "Wynter, darling."_

_ Turning around, she smiled at the woman that she took after in so many ways, "Yes, Mum?"_

_ "You forgot your money. Minerva said that you would need some of these golden looking ones."_

_ "Those are galleons."_

_ Turning to the voice that spoke to them, Wynter saw a boy her age. He was pale like the vampires that she always sees on the telly, and his hair was as white as snow; it looked odd on him, but that wasn't the only funny thing about him. His eyes were silver, and he wore a dress like Professor McGonagall. She could see that he had black pants on underneath his dress, and what could have been a black t-shirt, but she was more focused on the fact that this boy was wearing a green dress than what was underneath it._

_ "Hullo," he said with a shy smile. "I'm Draco Malfoy. Is this your first year at Hogwarts, too?"_

_ Nodding her head, Wynter also shyly smiled. "Yes. My name is Wynter Morris. Have you known about magic all your life?"_

_ Suddenly a nervous twitch took over Draco's face, and he looked around the shop. He seemed to be relieved when he saw that there was no one else in there. "Yes," he nodded his head. "The Malfoys come from a long line of pureblooded witches and wizards. I take it you're a muggle-born?"_

_ "I guess so," she shrugged her shoulders. "This is my mum, Tabitha Morris."_

_ Looking up at the grinning woman, Draco blushed and quickly held out his hand. "Hullo Mrs. Morris."_

_ "Hullo Draco," she giggled. "Are you alone in here?"_

_ "Only for now," he told her. "My mother is in the cauldron shop, and my father is grabbing my books for me. I can help Wynter with the galleons if you want."_

_ Looking between the two children, Tabitha smiled almost knowingly. "Why, thank you young Draco. Here you go – Wynter, honey, your father and I are going across to look at the owls with Minerva; she says that you should get that instead of anything else so we can still keep in touch."_

_ "Okay."_

_ "Do you eat ice-cream in the muggle world?" Draco asked her once her mum left the shop._

_ Nodding her head, Wynter grinned. "Mint chip is my favorite, but Clyde always makes me eat strawberry. What's your favorite?"_

_ "Chocolate berry caramel swirl, with chopped nuts and chocolate flies in it," he told her with a wide grin. _

_ "Chocolate flies?" her eyes were as wide as saucers._

_ He nodded his head enthusiastically. "You should try it. It isn't real flies of course, but they're charmed to buzz around in your mouth and if you swallow them whole you could even feel it flying down into your belly. Do you want that?"_

_ "Erm… okay?"_

_ After ordering two of the same ice-creams in a cup, Draco told Wynter to just keep her money because his father told him that muggle-borns don't have a lot of it. Seeing her parents waving to her from outside of the ice-cream shop, Wynter thanked Draco and told him goodbye. _

Looking up at Draco, Wynter chuckled as she remembered eleven year old Draco shaking her hand as she left the ice-cream shop that day in Diagon Alley. Now that she looked back on it, she felt sort of guilty and naïve. How could she have been so stupid? Of course he knew who she was all those times they sat in the same classroom, and of course he knew her name – he was sort of the first and only friend that she made in the wizarding world. And now that she looked back on it, he was nice to her even when he learned that she was a muggle-born; he brought her _his_ favorite ice-cream – which she just so happens to hate… but the point is that he was nice to her, and he acted like a friend… at least until they got on the train, and he pretended he didn't know who she was.

"Seriously… why are you staring at me like that?"

"I'm just thinking," she told him, finally remembering how to speak. "Can we train now?"

"Train?" sighing, Draco scratched his hair. "Wynter, something's wrong with you – you've been zoning out ever since your talk with Potter. What happened?"

"Nothing," she assured him, "We just talked. Harry sort of noticed that I've been a little off lately, and he just wanted to give me a pep-talk about the upcoming war."

"A pep-talk?"

Wynter nodded her head. "We've both been personally attacked by Voldemort – our parents, the whole being possessed thing… Harry just wanted to remind me that he's here for me and whatnot," she made sure to leave out the thing about Harry bringing up how Draco was the cause for her every action, or whatever it was he was trying to tell her.

"And after your talk with Potter?" the look on Draco's face told Wynter that he didn't believe her, and she silently cursed their imprint – he could almost sense her emotions just as much as she could sense his. He couldn't sense it as much, but he still felt a little bit of what she felt.

Shrugging her shoulders, Wynter started to take off her shoes; there was no sense in jogging if he was going to join her. "I went to the field to watch the clouds."

"You're leaving something out," he told her. "I can feel it."

"Seamus was there."

"Finnigan?" Wynter didn't say anything, so Draco cleared his throat. "What exactly did that little Irish midget do?"

"Little Irish midget?" she laughed, "That's not very nice. He doesn't call you _that tall ferret giant_, now does he?"

Kicking off his own shoes, Draco continued to stare at her, "That isn't funny. Now, seriously, what did he do?"

"Nothing," she sighed. "Seamus didn't do anything. We were just talking is all."

"Well, it must've been some serious talk," Draco chuckled, but when Wynter didn't make any sounds or movements at all, his laughter suddenly died away, and his face dropped, "Oh, it was a serious talk."

Draco's fear overpowered any other emotion, and Wynter had to clutch onto her chest to try and breathe. Sam told her that when her mate's emotions become too much for her to bear, she has to just remember to breathe evenly; he told her that it's normal to have to do this, because everyone has off days, and he's still trying to get use to Emily's emotions at times. Trying to remember to take in a deep breath then slowly release it, Wynter tried to push Draco's feelings away. It was like he was afraid that whatever she and Seamus talked about, she was going to leave him now.

"I'm not leaving you," she managed to gasp out. "Calm down. I'm still new. Too much fear."

Hearing her words, and also realizing that his fear seemed to be choking Wynter, Draco rushed over to her side, and knelt down in front of her. Tightening his hands around hers, he said, "Sorry, love, didn't mean to attack you with my emotions or anything. Just breathe. That's it: breathe in, now let it out, breathe in, now let it out…"

"Thanks," Wynter muttered once she was feeling calm again. "It _was_ a serious talk, but nothing you need to worry about. In case you forgot, Malfoy, I can't leave you. I would literally die if I did."

"I always knew you couldn't live without me," he teased. When he saw that Wynter didn't tease him back or roll her eyes at his joke, Draco released her hands, and sat on the ground in front of her. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No," she shook her head. "This is… this is something that I need to figure out on my own right now."

"Got it," he nodded his head. "Maybe we shouldn't train tonight," he told her. "Whatever Potter and Finnigan told you; it has your mind too occupied right now. We should just take a break, and-"

"No," she shook her head again. Sighing, she started to twist at a stray strand of hair, "Look, Malfoy, I _need _to do this. This is something that I have to beat."

"You can't beat the curses," he told her, then frowned, "Well, unless you're Potter, but even then, he can't die for a third time."

Wynter chuckled. "Not like that… look, I don't want to look back one day and realize that I won two wars, but I'm still scared of the curses; I want to beat that fear."

"Is it really the curses that you're scared of?" he asked her. "Or are you scared about something else, and this is the only way to avoid it?"

"Things went on between us," Wynter sighed. "A lot of things, Malfoy… things that I'm not ready to admit yet, but I think in time I'll be able to. There _are_ things that I'm not ready to face yet, but in time I'll have to, and when that time comes I want to be able to not break down."

"I'll be with you," Draco promised her. "Even if we weren't imprinted, I would be there with you facing all of your demons, and you know that – I promised you-"

"Please, don't. I don't want any more promises. I don't want to talk about it, Malfoy; I just want to not hurt anymore."

Resting on the palm of his hands, Draco licked his lips and took in a deep breath. "I still don't understand why I have to be the one to do this?"

"I already told you."

"It hurting you more when it's me, doesn't tell me anything!" he shouted at her. Jumping up to his feet, Draco stared down at her, "That doesn't tell me anything, Wynter; all it says is that it hurts you more when I'm the one who's cursing you."

"Exactly."

"What?"

Continuing to sit on the edge of the bed, Wynter began to chew on her bottom lip until she could taste blood. "It hurt me when Rodolphus was the one cursing me," she whispered, "But it hurt more when the curse came from you. Rodolphus meant nothing to me; he was just another Death Eater, but you – well, we had a secret, and when you cursed me, it stung even more, and the pain became more unbearable. If I can learn to become numb to the pain when it comes from you, then-"

"It would have no affect at all when it comes from someone else," Draco whispered back. Sighing, he walked across the room once more, and sat on the edge of the bed next to Wynter. "Do you really think you can beat it?" he asked her.

"I have to," she admitted. "If I don't, then I can't move on."

"Earlier," scratching the back of his neck, Draco stared down at his feet, "Earlier, you said that you wanted to work up my immunity to the _Imperius Curse_. Why?"

Licking her lips, Wynter shuddered as she thought about it. "I just feel that it's necessary."

"You're hiding things from me, Wynter."

"Yes."

"You don't deny it?"

"I don't want to lie to you. I mean, we're stuck together forever, after all," she slightly chuckled. "I'll tell you one day," she told him. "I promise you, Malfoy, when all of this is done, I'll tell you everything that you want to know. But right now – just don't worry about it."

"Will it make you happy if I work up my immunity to the curse?" when Wynter nodded her head, he sighed, "And you promise that you'll answer my questions once we win this war?"

Hesitating, Wynter thought about it – did she really want him to know the truth? Looking up, she turned and saw Draco staring at her; he seemed to asking himself the same thing – did he really want to know the truth. "Yes," she nodded her head, "I promise."

"Very well," he said, standing up. "Let's lock and silence this room so that I can curse you until your bones begin to twist."

_**Just take some time for the truth to come out.**_

Feeling as if her lungs were caving deep into her chest, Wynter's body started to writhe around the bedroom floor. Her blood wasn't burning as much as it used to, but it felt as if someone was trying to light it on fire but the matches kept smoking out instead. Instead of blacking out like she usually does, her vision was only slightly blurred and she could see Draco standing above her with a pained look on his face. Holding his wand out in front of him, he was shouting the cursed word even louder, and this time she let out a whimper.

"It's been forty minutes," Draco's voice was strained with pain from watching Wynter suffer under the curse for that long. "I'm going to stop it now. If we go any longer, you could end up in a bed next to Longbottom's parents."

Feeling the curse end, Wynter tried to regain her breath. "It took hours of torture before they ended up in St. Mungos," she huffed out, "And I've been under the curse longer than that."

"In between turns," he reminded her. "Never forty minutes straight without it being lifted. How did you feel?"

"It didn't hurt as much as before," allowing him to help her back up to her feet, Wynter felt her knees give in. "It still hurt like hell though. And I didn't black out this time."

"I noticed," Draco grinned while helping Wynter over to the bed. "Do you think it's the new blood in you?"

"I think so," she nodded her head. "I could feel something inside of me trying to absorb as much of the curse from me as it could. I don't know if that's normal though – I never heard Sam them say anything about it before. Every time they described being under the curse, they always just said that it hurt like hell."

"You should ask them," he frowned, "Just in case. It might be the Quileute blood mixing in with the werewolf venom."

Frowning at the mental image of Remus fighting against Sam inside of her body over who would get to protect her, Wynter tried to shake it away, but even just shaking her head proved to be too much work. Trying to stand up to grab her wand, she released a shrieking sound and groaned when she fell back onto the bed. This was definitely new to her – she was normally tired after training with Draco, but she never got weak to the point where she couldn't really move with collapsing. Reminding herself to find out if it was because of her new shape-shifter blood or if it was because she was under the _Cruciatus _for forty minutes straight, Wynter looked up and saw a worried Draco looking down at her.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"I tried to stand up for my wand, but I fell back down onto the bed."

"You're too weak to move," he nodded his head. "Do you think it's the shape-shifter blood or do you think it's the forty minute thing?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I was just asking myself that. Tomorrow I'll ask Sam, and send an owl out to both Remus and Snape."

Draco nodded his head, "I think that'll be the best thing. I'm going to go get you your plate; you should really eat something now."

"Thanks."

_**Oh where are you?**_

_**One love or money, good fortune or fame?**_

_**You want a brand new car; you want the world to change.**_

_**You better take some action right now.**_

_**Oh yes, because there's nothing in the world that you can't get.**_

_**So don't fill your life with confusion and regret.**_

_**You better take some chances right now.**_

"What do you want?"

"What?"

"In life – what do you want in life?"

After having Draco practically feed her, and having them both agree that she was too weak to curse him, Wynter finally had enough strength to get up and walk to the shower. It was now an hour later, and they were both lying in bed, dressed comfortably for sleep. Like the past nights, weeks, months, Draco had his arms wrapped around Wynter, and her head was resting on his chest so that she could listen to his heartbeat. There were a total of two fans in the room, along with a cooling charm, and Draco still didn't wear a shirt to sleep, which meant that the pureblooded wizard was wrapped up like a burrito in the comforter, and he was cold. Draco was wearing long sweatpants with two pairs of socks on his feet, and Wynter was wearing only a tank top with a pair of knickers. Even with Wynter against his body, Draco was cold, and it amused her.

"You mean like a family?"

"I guess. It could be anything, really. Just what do you want?"

Smiling, Draco nuzzled his chin in Wynter's hair. "I remember telling you that I wanted to run away to the states with you, before."

"I remember that," Wynter chuckled. "You wanted to elope, and leave everything behind us."

"I wanted a big house with a big fenced in yard-"

"Three kids-"

"And a pet dragon."

Laughing, Wynter tried to picture having a happy family life with Draco. "Do you think we could still have that?" she asked him. "I mean, I don't want to ditch our friends, but do you think that one day we could have that?"

"Well, I was planning on having to kidnap you and put you under some sort of deep spell that would make sure it happened, but now that we're imprinted together, there's no way that won't happen," he teased; glad to feel the vibrations of another chuckle against him.

Biting on her lower lip, Wynter smiled at the thought of it. "Would we still live in the states?"

"Of course," he nodded his head. "I don't really have a reason to return back to London. Do you?"

Thinking about it, Wynter remembered how both of her parents were killed, and how she still didn't really know if her friends were her friends or not. "No," she said slowly. "We could start out fresh; new."

"Of course though," he told her, "We would have to work on your mood swings. I mean, one minute you love me and the next you're trying to kill me, and you hate me for everything. We need to fix that."

"We will," she told him. "One day."

"We can't have our big fenced in yard with three kids and pet dragon until that one day happens."

"I know," Wynter sighed. "But it _will _happen."

"What about you?" Draco asked, trying to mask his excitement that knowing that one day he would win and Wynter would love him, with excitement about wanting to know what she wanted in life. "What do you want?"

Taking her time to think about it, Wynter began to absentmindedly draw invisible pictures on Draco's chest with her fingers. What did she want in life? Honestly, she was just shocked that he still wanted the same thing that he wanted the night that he came to her in the forest during the Horcrux hunt. When she was little she wanted to be special – that sure as hell turned out for the worse. When she was thirteen she wanted to be in love, and that also turned out to be more of a curse than something good. She never understood the need to be rich, nor did she really want fancy things. So what the hell did she want? Realizing what she was doing, Wynter looked up and saw Draco's eyes trying to stay open; he was smiling down at her.

"To move on," she said suddenly. "I want to one day just move on, and start out new."

"In our house with the big fenced in yard?"

Wynter nodded her head. "In our house with the big fenced in yard."

"What did you used to want?"

"Hmm?"

"Before we got imprinted," Draco asked her. Making sure to watch Wynter's face, he asked, "If we weren't imprinted, and you weren't being forced to have a future with me, what would you want? What did you want before you had to give it up?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

Wynter sighed, but continued to draw on Draco's chest. "I don't know," she admitted. "I know that it sounds weird, but I honestly don't know. I mean, before fifth year, I just wanted to hurry up and get out of Hogwarts. Then after everyone learned who I was, and I learned who I was, I didn't know what to want anymore – just to live, I guess."

"I don't accept that," Draco yawned. "Everyone wants something. Did you ever dream of having a family?"

"Yeah."

"Who did you picture by your side?" he asked, "Who did you picture yourself raising a family with?" Wynter didn't answer him, so he sighed. "Did you ever love me back?"

_It was her turn to keep watch, and she could hear Ron snoring from inside the tent while Hermione babbled on about making sure the potion didn't overheat or else Snape would turn into a dragon sized bat and feed her to Buckbeak. She could also hear Harry struggling with his visional nightmares. Shivering in the cold, she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, and jumped in fright when she heard a sudden noise. Tightening her grip on her wand, she stood up and shrugged out of the blanket. Peeking inside the tent to make sure that her friends were still sleeping, Wynter started to walk towards where the noise was coming from._

_ "Follow the light."_

_ Nearly hexing the floating white ball that was now right in front of her, Wynter recognized the voice coming from it. "What?"_

_ "Please… follow the light. I need to see you."_

_ Taking only a split second to think about it, Wynter left the safety of Hermione's spells, and she walked after the floating ball of light. Wondering if this was the same feeling that Ron had when he followed his own ball of light back to them; she was more scared about the fact that she trusted him to be alone, than the fact that there was a chance that he wasn't. It was insane for her to just abandon her friends in the middle of the night, while they were sleeping, without a simple hesitation. He told her to follow the light, and she was. He needed to see her, and she would never admit it, but she needed to see him as well._

_ "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"_

_ Leaning against a tree with his wand in one hand, and his other hand in his pocket, was Draco Malfoy. "I needed to see you."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "What do you mean why? You know why."_

_ "I'm on the hunt to kill your master right now," she hissed at him, "Shouldn't you want me dead?"_

_ "Don't be so stupid," he hissed back at her. "This is too dangerous; I don't like the idea of you hunting for those things."_

_ "Harry knows how to find them; once we destroy all of them, we could kill him for good."_

_ "Good," he breathed a sigh of relief, "You know about the jinx."_

_ Wynter nodded her head, "Ron ditched us a couple months back, and when he returned to us, he told us about it."_

_ "I knew Weasley wouldn't have the bollocks to stick around," he snorted._

_ "He came back to us," she hissed at him again. "Speaking of having no bollocks, why the bloody hell are you here?"_

_ Licking his lips, Draco pushed away from the tree. "It's weird not seeing Granger's hand shoot up in class, or seeing Weasley trying to eat everything in sight. I think I even miss losing to Potter in Quidditch," Wynter only continued to stare at him with a raised eyebrow, and he sighed. "Every time I enter the Great Hall I look over at the Gryffindor table and expect to see you stuffing your face, but you're never there. I walk into a classroom and I can already tell that I won't be staring at you instead of learning anything. There's no one there to run into in the corridors anymore, and I have no one to pester about dating me. You left me, Morris, you fucking left me."_

_ Rolling her eyes, Wynter glanced between the trees to make sure they were still alone, "I didn't leave you Malfoy, there was never a 'you' to leave."_

_ "You knew how I felt about you, and you just left me without even saying goodbye."_

_ "It's not as if we're friends," a disbelieving look took over her face as she stared at him with widened eyes. "After Dumbledore's funeral I went home to find my own parents dead, Malfoy. I had to call the coppers in, plan _their_ funeral, and then I went back to the Weasleys'. Now I'm hunting to kill your master – the same master who killed my parents! So yes, I left without saying goodbye."_

_ "I heard about that," Draco whispered. "I'm sorry about your parents. I've tried asking around, but no one's telling me who did it. I swear though, if I knew, I would kill them… for you."_

_ "Why are you here, Malfoy?" Wynter asked in an exasperated voice. She was freezing, she was tired, and she was remembering that night that Dumbledore was killed._

_ "I told you," he sighed. "I needed to see you."_

"What would have happened?" Wynter asked. "If I said yes that night – what would we have done?"

"We would've run away together," Draco told her. "And we would've escaped the war."

"But then what would've happened?" she asked. "If we left that night; Ginny would've been killed, Seamus would've been killed, and we don't know if Harry would've killed Voldemort – not to mention that we wouldn't be able to save everyone right now."

"But you wouldn't hate me," he sighed. "That night under the moonlit sky and the dulled out stars, we both made a promise to each other, Wynter. You were happy to be with me, and we both promised a happy future together where we wouldn't have to hide. I know that I fucked it up the next day in the manor, but even when I tried to heal your wounds in those few moments that Voldemort them left us, you pulled away from me. If you said yes that night, then no promises would have been broken."

_ Lying down with her back pressed against Draco's cloak, Wynter could still feel the throbbing pain between her legs. After a while, the pain disappeared, but now that it was over with, the pain returned to her. Keeping her arms tightly wrapped around his back, she felt nothing wrong with everything that happened – everything felt right; as if it all finally fell into place. It was so odd how they could go from enemies to lovers in such a quick moment that now she gave him something that she couldn't give to anyone else. Draco Malfoy held a piece of her that no one else would. Draco's breath was still warm on her neck, and she could feel him grinning against her, while his fingers traced hearts on her thighs._

_ "Run away with me," he whispered. "Let's leave London right now. We can escape to the states, and elope together. I'll be eighteen in two months, and you're eighteen already – eighteen is the legal age in the states."_

_ "What?" she laughed, thinking he was joking._

_ "I'm serious," Draco continued. "I've always wanted to get a big house with an even bigger yard that's fenced in for my pet dragon."_

_ "Your pet dragon?"_

_ "Of course," he grinned. "Our three kids are going to want a pet to play with."_

_ "Three kids?" she cocked an eyebrow. "One shag, and you're already planning on having kids. Tell me, Malfoy – have you got their names picked out?"_

_ Still grinning, Draco nodded his head. "Our oldest son's name will be Gregory Draco Malfoy; after your father, and myself, of course," Wynter smiled, and he slowly started to kiss her right ear. "Then our middle child will also be a boy, and his name shall be Sirius Blaise, after the uncle that I wish I knew, and the prat who sort of tricked me into an unbreakable vow of naming my second son after him."_

_ Wynter started to laugh. "How can you be tricked into making an unbreakable vow?"_

_ "I was seven," he retorted, nibbling at her collarbone now. "And then our third child shall be a girl. Her name will be Summer because it is the only time of year that is just as beautiful as winter without challenging it, and her middle name shall be Rose because it is both of our favorite flowers."_

_ Gasping when one of his fingers decided to lightly pinch the inside of her thigh, Wynter stared into Draco's eyes. "I like that."_

_ "Then let's have it," he told her. "We can start that right now."_

_ "No," she shook her head. "We can't. Harry them need me right now – they can't do this hunt without me. And I can't leave the Order; not right in the middle of a war. Let's run away together after the war."_

_ A slow, darkened depression was just about to take over Draco's face until he heard the final part of her sentence. Staring down into Wynter's eyes, he grinned. "Really – after the war we can be together?"_

_ "Mhmm," she nodded her head, also grinning. "I'll help you stay out of Azkaban, and then we can have that – we can have the big house in the states."_

_ "With the big fenced in yard-"_

_ "And your pet dragon-"_

_ "And our three kids," Draco's face was lit up. "Does this mean you love me too?"_

"Yes."  
>"Hmm?" fighting to open his eyes, Draco continued to stare at the confusing witch in his arms, "Yes, what?"<p>

"I did love you back," she told him. "I never would've met up with you if I didn't; nor would I have made those plans with you."

"Then what changed?" he asked her. "Because you sure as hell don't love me anymore."

Moving her hand away from his chest, Wynter pressed it to Draco's face. "I changed," she told him. "Just give me time," she whispered, "I'm fighting myself right now, but it won't always be like this. I promise you, once this war is won, I'll tell you what happened."

"I did something didn't I?" he asked her; his eyes starting to shut once more, "That day in the manor – they _Imperiused_ me to do something, didn't they? That's why you hate me; that's why you can't stand to be around me; that's why you don't love me anymore," he yawned, "Isn't it?"

Wynter nodded her head, "We'll talk about it after the war."

_**Oh yeah, well you can gain the world for the price of your soul,**_

_**Yes I know, well I know, yes I know,**_

_**You can gain the world for the price of your soul.**_

_**But I hope you take the road less traveled,**_

_**And I hope you find the courage to grow,**_

Watching as Draco slept; Wynter was relieved to know that he probably wouldn't even remember what he said right before he fell asleep. She felt guilty that while the sun was out she tried her hardest to avoid him and once it was night out she would give in to his desire to hold her, but it was a guilt that she would just have to grow immune to. She couldn't fall back in love with Draco so quickly, not until she told him the truth; not until she was able to stand on her own two feet.

Harry was right when he said that Wynter started wanting to give up on everything because of Draco, but he was wrong about what night it was. It wasn't the night that Dumbledore was killed that had her wanting to give up on everything – if anything, that night only made her want to fight harder so that she could get everything with Draco. The night that Draco told her he loved her made her realize how equal her feelings were to his. The night that had Wynter wanting to give up on everything was the night that she finally admitted her love back to Draco; it was the night that she lost her virginity to him – that was the night that she wanted to just give up on everything so she could just hurry up and run away with him. That night, Draco walked her back to the line that marked the safety of her hidden camp, and he kissed her for, what they didn't know, would be their last kiss – at least filled with love… for a while. Pressing her fingers to her lips, Wynter watched as Draco disappeared behind the shields of Hermione's charms, and she started to regret not leaving with him – and that was the night that she started wanting to give up.

She let him go without her.

Yawning, Wynter snuggled in closer to Draco, not wanting the morning to come, because she knew that she wouldn't be this close to him again until the next night. Draco may not understand her need to stay away from him right now, but she couldn't love him again… not until she won the war… and not the war that they were all training for…

There was a war going on inside of Wynter's head. One side fought for all that was good, and the other side fought for darkness. Then there was a third party – another side that fought for Draco. Wynter couldn't love Draco until the war was won…

She just didn't know what side she was rooting for.

_**Well, I hope you find the courage to grow.**_

d-_-b

**Wooohoooo 26 pages of strictly story, not including the a/n's because that makes 27 pages(: - hehehe… was it worth it?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the song 'Courage To Grow' – it belongs to Rebelution! And the reason I turned this chapter into a song-fic-chapter is because I was listening to this song, and I pictured Wynter and Draco in my mind. This song just seems to match Wynter so much, and it blended in perfectly with what I wanted to happen in this chapter!**

**A/N: Yes, I know, I have a tendency to give Wynter the shit deal of life, but as I explained to the person who wrote to me about all my mistakes, Wynter is sort of like a personal 'Mary Sue' to me, I guess you can say. I mean she's not annoying, and I don't want to stab her while writing this story (and I hope you guys don't feel that way while reading it) but as my own life has proved to me, everything can go wrong before anything gets right, and in some way I guess you can say I'm living it out through Wynter. So I'm sorry if it seems a little 'dark' or like I'm picking on Wynter, but I promise I'm not, or at least I'm not trying to!**

**Well, so what do you guys think? I tried to show the difference between old Wynter and now Wynter, and a time when she was happy… did you guys like it? What about the Blaise/Ginny thing? Honestly, I'm a huge Binny fan, but I'm still not sure how I'm going to turn that one… I'm thinking of having Harry with someone that you guys may or may not love, **_**then**_** go more into the whole Binny thing… don't hold me to it though, this may just be phase right now in the story, and so far I didn't make it anything serious. Only that time in one of the earlier chapters when Wynter mentioned something about blackmailing Ginny about 'too much firewhisky and a certain Italian' and now Seamus is saying that Blaise is in love with Ginny, and Wynter has thoughts, but she's not going into too much detail about it. but like I said… we'll see…**

**So… what do you guys think? Was it worth the wait? Liking the flashbacks? Liking the thoughts? Too short of a training session between the two of them? What about what both Harry and Seamus had to say? Liking that Wynter's starting to have doubts about having doubts of Draco to begin with? Not liking anything? Please review – I've missed those so much!(:**


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